Taking
action...
... may involve escalating the issue. For instance,
if a unit manager identified the need for standardised
glucose testing machines, the action required
may be to prepare a business case and refer it
up the administration ladder. |
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Step 6. Analysis and action
Page
19 of the Policy
covered in this page are Hierarchy
of actions | The S.M.A.R.T. system
of goal setting
The purpose of analysis is to understand how and why
the incident occurred, and to identify ways of preventing
a recurrence. The analysis should take into account
all information gathered during the Investigation
and Classification
phases. Actions and recommendations are developed to
prevent recurrence of the incident.
Analysing known information about an incident provides
a clear indication of the action that should be taken.
For example, if the incident is a falls issue, actions
could include:
- conducting bedside patient handovers
- ensuring staff have been trained in fall risk
assessment
- writing care pathways
- scheduling regular team meetings where incidents
are discussed and inquiries are made about staff
knowledge levels.
Just as there are many ways in which an incident
can occur, there are many actions that can be taken
to achieve improvement. Some may need to be applied
across the whole organisation, while others may be
specific to the incident. How do you decide which
avenue to pursue?
Hierarchy of actions
Actions following analysis fall into three categories:
stronger, intermediate, weaker.
Stronger actions
|
Intermediate actions
|
Weaker actions
|
- Remove a physical barrier that is preventing
access.
- Force functions, eg remove concentrated
potassium chloride solutions from hospital
wards.
- Simplify processes, reduce unnecessary
steps, reduce the number and timing of choices
and duration of tasks.
- Standardise to minimise variation in equipment,
supplies, drugs, and rules.
|
- Use checklists, protocols and reminders
to reduce reliance on memory
- Eliminate the use of sound-alikes (eg.
drug names) or look-alikes (eg. the use of
colour coding or shape differentiation).
|
- A new policy or procedure.
- Staff training.
- Additional study and analysis.
|
The S.M.A.R.T. system of goal
setting
A useful tool for goal setting is the S.M.A.R.T.
system of goal setting. You can find out a lot about it
on the Internet, but basically, it's a set of actions
that enable you to structure an action plan.
S
|
pecific
|
A specific goal has a much greater chance of
being accomplished than a general goal. To set
a specific goal, answer the six "W"
questions:
- Who: Who is involved?
- What: What do we want to accomplish?
- Where: Identify a location.
- When: Establish a time frame.
- Which: Identify requirements and
constraints.
- Why: Specific reasons, purpose or
benefits of accomplishing the goal.
For example, .... [ a clinical example]
|
M
|
easurable
|
Establish
concrete criteria for measuring progress toward
the attainment of each goal you set. When you measure
your progress, you stay on track, reach your target
dates, and experience the achievement that spurs
you on to the continued effort required to reach
your goal. To determine if your goal is measurable,
ask questions such as How much? How many? How will
I know when it is accomplished? |
A
|
ttainable
|
When
you identify goals that are most important to you,
you begin to figure out ways you can make them come
true. An attainable goal is a goal for which you
see a realistic path to achievement, and reasonable
odds that you get there. |
R
|
ealistic
|
To
be realistic, a goal must represent an objective
toward which you are both willing and able to work.
A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the
only one who can decide just how high your goal
should be. But be sure that every goal represents
substantial progress. A high goal is frequently
easier to reach than a low one because a low goal
exerts low motivational force. Some of the hardest
jobs you ever accomplished actually seem easy simply
because they were a labor of love.
Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe
that it can be accomplished. Additional ways to
know if your goal is realistic is to determine
if you have accomplished anything similar in the
past or ask yourself what conditions would have
to exist to accomplish this goal. |
T
|
imely
|
A goal
should be grounded within a time frame and an end
date. |
Sources: Top
Achievement website 2007. Time-Management-Guide.com
2007.
|
