An Educational Module on the Use of Simulation-Based Learning and Its Effects on Medication Errors and Medication Error Reporting: A Quality Improvement Project

Background: Errors in medication administration in the perioperative clinical setting is a concern that presents specific patient safety challenges compared to other clinical settings. The problem may be attributed to a high-stress level among the anesthesia providers and the time-sensitive nature of the care in the operating room (OR). These factors result in an increased incidence of overall medication errors and errors of high severity within this setting. Medication errors are a primary reason for the iatrogenic harm within the healthcare setting and for most of the malpractice claims that anesthesia providers face. This quality improvement aimed to educate providers on simulation-based training as a method to reduce the incidence of medication errors and enhance reporting among anesthesia providers.Method: Data was gathered for the quality improvement project comparing simulation-based training with traditional lecture-based training. The study adopted the 1-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study. The participants for this study were recruited using emails and memos placed at notice boards in strategic areas at the hospital where the anesthesia providers frequent. Anesthesia providers were sent recruitment emails, and those who participated took a baseline survey and participated in an education-based training on the topic. Data on the effectiveness of the training was collected using a post-education questionnaire This assessment was part of the feedback for training for the anesthesia providers after going through the education. Analysis was then conducted using Microsoft Excel.Results: The results of the study included 9 certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) who consented to the study. Nearly two-thirds of participants were male (67%) one-third were female (33%). Most participants also possessed a DNP degree (78%). Four participants reported over 10 years of experience (44%), 2 reported 5-10 years of experience (22%), 2 disclosed 2-5 years of experience (22%), and 1 stated having 1-2 years of experience (11%). The pre- and post-test results were considered to determine if there was increased knowledge or awareness. The findings indicated a notable increase in anesthesia provider understanding of simulation-based methods to reduce medication errors and enhance error reporting following administration of the educational module.Discussion: The results of the quality improvement project showed evidence of an increase in knowledge and awareness of medication errors and error reporting in anesthesia. Using simulation-based learning has been found to be effective in improving the knowledge of anesthesia providers. The results are confirmed by literature from other studies, and this shows the effectiveness of simulation-based education in reporting medication errors and errors among anesthesia providers. The study was, however, limited by the limited number of participants due to unavailability.