Event Title
Converting clinical orientation materials from paper to electronic: A quality improvement project
Location
Central Division
Start Date
26-10-2023 9:40 AM
End Date
26-10-2023 9:50 AM
Description
Abstract:
Title:
Converting clinical orientation materials from paper to electronic: A quality improvement project
Authors:
Megan Bowles, MSN, RN, CCRN; Tobi Bryan, MSN, RN, CCRN; Abby Lust, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, CMSRN; Teresa Rangel, PhD, MSN, RN, CNL, CMSRN;
Objectives:
At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:
- Describe the benefits of implementing an electronic orientation notebook
- Understand the amount of personalization and capacity for just-in-time education that electronic orientation notebooks can provide for an orientee
- Demonstrate the ease of use and accessibility of the electronic notebook for orientees, preceptors and educators
Type of Project:
Quality Improvement Project
Background:
Upon hire or transfer to a new department across 4 hospitals, acute care clinical orientees receive orientation binders from professional development practitioners (PDP) containing specialty-specific policies and a competency checklist. The competency checklist must be signed by the orientee and preceptor and returned to the unit leader within 90 days. Paper orientation binders are time-consuming to create, costly, and prohibitive of on-demand feedback from preceptor/leader to orientee. Additionally, nuanced set-up of physical binders complicates coverage of PDP absences. Finally, orientees report losing papers or forgetting the binders during their orientation shifts, prohibiting completion of competency checklists. Electronic notebooks present a viable solution. Across the hospitals, leadership supported conversion of paper orientation binders to using the Microsoft application, OneNote, as a standard of practice.
Purpose:
To investigate the effectiveness of offering unique and individualized electronic orientation binder among PDP’s, orientees and preceptors.
Methods:
Beginning January 2023, all PDPs were expected to email each new orientee, designated preceptor, and nurse leader a private, secured link to access the specialty-specific electronic orientation binder versus provide a physical binder. Everyone with access to the link was guided to view the orientee’s weekly progress completing assigned orientation materials including the competency checklist. In June 2023, PDP’s, orientees, preceptors, and unit leaders were invited to complete a 5-minute electronic survey to determine the effectiveness of the change, and the percentage of competency checklists provided to unit leaders was determined. Finally, cost savings to the PDP department were calculated.
Results:
A total of 213 clinical caregivers and 18 PDPs responded to surveys; 77.9% of respondents reported receiving a physical orientation binder while 100% of PDPs report administering electronic. In all, 77.3% of eligible respondents estimated at least weekly use of the electronic binders and 80.5% of mandatory competency lists were electronically signed and emailed to leaders. PDPs estimated 18 hours of time savings by adopting the new practice, an annual cost conversion of $19,728 from non-productive to productive time spent engaging with orientees. The PDP department calculated $11,826.93 annual cost savings for supplies. Finally, a total of 5 PDPs reported helping orientees assigned to a fellow PDP during their absence in the past year and commented on the ease of sharing the electronic link versus locating and dispersing physical binders for their colleague.
Conclusion:
The use of electronic versus paper orientation materials aligns with best practice, supports cost-savings, may facilitate completion of mandated competency paperwork, and is well-received by major stakeholders. Progress is significant toward the goal of 100% of clinical orientees receiving an electronic binder in these hospitals.
Implications for practice:
When using a secure, electronic orientation notebook versus a paper binder, PDPs report more time to engage with and support orientees and co-workers on- and off-unit and departmental cost savings. Orientees/stakeholders may engage with electronic specialty-specific materials more frequently. Electronic competency checklists may be easier to complete by eliminating barriers including forgetting or losing paper orientation documents.
Recommended Citation
Bowles, Megan; Bryan, Tobi; Lust, Abby; and Rangel, Teresa, "Converting clinical orientation materials from paper to electronic: A quality improvement project" (2023). Central Division Nurse Clinical Inquiry Conference. 18.
https://digitalcommons.providence.org/central_nurs_conf/2023/agenda/18
Included in
Converting clinical orientation materials from paper to electronic: A quality improvement project
Central Division
Abstract:
Title:
Converting clinical orientation materials from paper to electronic: A quality improvement project
Authors:
Megan Bowles, MSN, RN, CCRN; Tobi Bryan, MSN, RN, CCRN; Abby Lust, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, CMSRN; Teresa Rangel, PhD, MSN, RN, CNL, CMSRN;
Objectives:
At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:
- Describe the benefits of implementing an electronic orientation notebook
- Understand the amount of personalization and capacity for just-in-time education that electronic orientation notebooks can provide for an orientee
- Demonstrate the ease of use and accessibility of the electronic notebook for orientees, preceptors and educators
Type of Project:
Quality Improvement Project
Background:
Upon hire or transfer to a new department across 4 hospitals, acute care clinical orientees receive orientation binders from professional development practitioners (PDP) containing specialty-specific policies and a competency checklist. The competency checklist must be signed by the orientee and preceptor and returned to the unit leader within 90 days. Paper orientation binders are time-consuming to create, costly, and prohibitive of on-demand feedback from preceptor/leader to orientee. Additionally, nuanced set-up of physical binders complicates coverage of PDP absences. Finally, orientees report losing papers or forgetting the binders during their orientation shifts, prohibiting completion of competency checklists. Electronic notebooks present a viable solution. Across the hospitals, leadership supported conversion of paper orientation binders to using the Microsoft application, OneNote, as a standard of practice.
Purpose:
To investigate the effectiveness of offering unique and individualized electronic orientation binder among PDP’s, orientees and preceptors.
Methods:
Beginning January 2023, all PDPs were expected to email each new orientee, designated preceptor, and nurse leader a private, secured link to access the specialty-specific electronic orientation binder versus provide a physical binder. Everyone with access to the link was guided to view the orientee’s weekly progress completing assigned orientation materials including the competency checklist. In June 2023, PDP’s, orientees, preceptors, and unit leaders were invited to complete a 5-minute electronic survey to determine the effectiveness of the change, and the percentage of competency checklists provided to unit leaders was determined. Finally, cost savings to the PDP department were calculated.
Results:
A total of 213 clinical caregivers and 18 PDPs responded to surveys; 77.9% of respondents reported receiving a physical orientation binder while 100% of PDPs report administering electronic. In all, 77.3% of eligible respondents estimated at least weekly use of the electronic binders and 80.5% of mandatory competency lists were electronically signed and emailed to leaders. PDPs estimated 18 hours of time savings by adopting the new practice, an annual cost conversion of $19,728 from non-productive to productive time spent engaging with orientees. The PDP department calculated $11,826.93 annual cost savings for supplies. Finally, a total of 5 PDPs reported helping orientees assigned to a fellow PDP during their absence in the past year and commented on the ease of sharing the electronic link versus locating and dispersing physical binders for their colleague.
Conclusion:
The use of electronic versus paper orientation materials aligns with best practice, supports cost-savings, may facilitate completion of mandated competency paperwork, and is well-received by major stakeholders. Progress is significant toward the goal of 100% of clinical orientees receiving an electronic binder in these hospitals.
Implications for practice:
When using a secure, electronic orientation notebook versus a paper binder, PDPs report more time to engage with and support orientees and co-workers on- and off-unit and departmental cost savings. Orientees/stakeholders may engage with electronic specialty-specific materials more frequently. Electronic competency checklists may be easier to complete by eliminating barriers including forgetting or losing paper orientation documents.
