Running head: PROJECT SCOPE AND PLAN

Project Scope and Plan

Sarah Bricker RN
NURS 495

PROJECT SCOPE AND PLAN

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Project Scope and Plan (PSP)

Project name: Bedside Report Whos Saying What?

Project Manager name: Sarah Bricker, RN
Site: Level 6 Med/Surg Peds
Location: Metro Health Hospital
A. Project Overview: Describe the product or service of the project, the reason project will
be undertaken, and the purpose of the project. Discuss the problem or opportunity this
project addresses. Include the quality and safety issue this project will address. Support
with current evidence-based practice literature or data specific to the project.
Bedside report during change of shift is a well-defined, proven practice that enables
nurses to accomplish safe handoffs(Studer Group, 2010, p.161). While the nurses in our
facility are already familiar with the concept of bedside report many of them have not
actually incorporated this practice into their care. Increasing compliance is important not
only because it will be a part of staff evaluations in the coming year but also because of the
continuity of care and increased patient satisfaction that it can provide. The purpose of the
project is four fold. First, to survey current patients and nurses about whether or not bedside
report is actually happening and what could be done to improve. Second, to provide
education about the importance of and rationale behind bedside report. Thirdly, to address
perceived barriers to nurses implementing bedside report as well as ways Patient Care
Technicians (PCTs) can aid in the process. And lastly, to seek to provide motivation for
complying with this best practice standard.
The current problem on our unit is that many nurses are not practicing bedside report.
This allows for more errors during the handoff period as details (such as IV fluid rates,

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wounds or drains, patient needs, etc.) are being overlooked. It also presents a missed
opportunity for increasing safety, patient satisfaction, and trust between patients and
providers.
It has often been said that the nurse is the last line of defense for the patient. As such it
is not surprising that nurses, must accept the primary leadership role for ensuring patient
safety and achieving high quality in healthcare organizations(Yoder-Wise, 2015, p. 362).
According to Gregory, Tan, Tilrico, Edwardson and Gamm (2014), bedside report is a critical
process in patient care that can support patient safety and reduce medical errors in the
United States. A patient at risk for falling already half way out of bed, an IV bag almost
dry, a PCA pump improperly programmed, or a patient with a low blood sugar are all
examples of potentially harmful accidents and errors that could be caught during a bedside
report. Catching errors at the bedside early on leads to an increase in patient safety as these
mistakes can be addressed more quickly. Not only is quality improved by correcting or
preempting errors but patients also have a chance to participate in the conversation and thus
perceive a better quality of care as the lines of communication are open.
B. Project Goal(s): Describe the project goal(s) using SMART (specific, measurable, accurate
and agreed to, realistic, and time bound) formula. These goals will be used to measure and
determine the projects success at its conclusion.
Nurses will verbalize a better understanding of, and compliance with, giving bedside
report. Patient Care Technicians (PCTs) will verbalize a better understanding of, and
compliance with, activities they can perform to enable a more smooth bedside report. Both

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will be measured by a quiz and anecdotes submitted by April first with a goal staff
participation rate of 95%.
C. Project Objectives/Deliverables: List the specific items or services that must be produced
in order to fulfill the goal of the project. Objectives/deliverables should be measurable
results, measurable outcomes or specific products or services. List and number in a logical
order to complete the project.
1. Write and submit project scope and plan by 1/28
2. Perform literature review by 2/7
3. Collect data regarding bedside report on level six by 2/14
4. Prepare draft of educational materials and deliver to Nurse Educator for review by
2/18
5. Send e-mail to staff explaining upcoming education by 2/25
6. Submit final educational materials to charge nurse and floor lounge by 2/27
7. Ongoing monitoring throughout the month of March
8. Send reminder e-mail by 3/14 and 3/27
9. Review resulting data and submit to Nurse Educator and Clinical Director by 4/8
10. Send follow up e-mail and post resulting data by 4/10

D. Comprehensive List of Project Requirements/Activities/Tasks: List by corresponding

objective the necessary specifications of the objective/deliverable. Example 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4,
etc This is a breakdown of the objectives/deliverables into their most basic components.
Consider this the action plan of the project.
1. Write and submit project scope and plan by 1/28 (4 project hours)
1 a. Discuss project with Clinical Director
1 b. Create project scope and plan
1 c. Form team including Clinical Director, Nurse Educator, staff Nurse, and

PROJECT SCOPE AND PLAN

Patient Care Technician (PCT).
2. Perform literature review by 2/7 (8 project hours)
2 a. Review literature from Ferris Library
2 b. Review hospital policies and HCAPS standards
3. Collect data regarding bedside report on level six by 2/14 (25 project hours)
3 a. Prepare patient survey
3 b. Prepare nursing surveys
3 c. Survey between thirty and eighty inpatients on level six between 2/1 and 2/14
3 d. Survey at least half of nursing staff and some patient care technicians (PCTs)
between 2/1 and 2/14
3 d.1 Obtain list of currently employed staff
3 e. Analyze data by 2/15
4. Prepare draft of educational materials and deliver to Nurse Educator and team for
review by 2/18 (6 project hours)
4 a. Synthesize survey data as well as literature review information
4 b. Summarize key points and explain presentation format
5. Send e-mail to staff explaining upcoming education by 2/25 (2 project hours)
5 a. Search for videos that highlight bedside report
5 b. Write e-mail highlighting education, including videos, explaining process and
criteria for drawings and giveaway
6. Submit final educational materials to charge nurse and floor lounge by 2/27 (17
project hours)
6 a. Buy poster board or other medium

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6 b. Create educational display including summary of data, ways to overcome
perceived barriers, and what staff should be reporting on
6 c. Write quiz, education sign-off, and anecdote form
6 d. Write up brief points of emphasis for daily huddles
7. Ongoing monitoring throughout the month of March (11 project hours)
7 a. Check quizzes, sign-offs, and anecdotes weekly
7 b. Encourage staff to complete education
7 c. Talk to staff weekly about how they are implementing the education
8. Send reminder e-mail by 3/14 and 3/27 (2 project hours)
8 a. Consider including another video and/or anecdote
8 b. Reiterate key points in e-mail format
9. Review resulting data and submit to team by 4/8 (10 project hours)
9 a. Analyze quiz results
9 b. Analyze and synthesize anecdotes from the month
9 c. Write report and submit to Educator and Clinical Director
10. Send follow up e-mail and post resulting data by 4/10 (5 project hours)
10 a. Gather gift cards and other items for drawing
10 b. Draw names for prizes
10 c. Write e-mail including above results and data
10 d. Update educational display with results from level six
E. Timeline: Identify time estimates by hours for each objective/deliverable in hours. These are
estimates only and will be updated as project progresses.
Please see hours identified above in the section entitled Comprehensive List of Project
Requirements/Activities/Tasks.

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F. Assumptions & Constraints: Identify all project assumptions and constraints.
Assumptions include
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Staff willingness to learn and participate

Staff valuing professionalism, patient safety, and quality of care

Having available space in nurses lounge for educational display

Staff motivated by giveaway

Constraints include
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Education must take place during work hours

Nurses have recently been inundated with Power Point and online education modules

Limited number of giveaways due to budget constraints

Difficulty assessing implementation

Limited time in which to complete the project

G. Success Criteria: Provide the value of the project. Why is this project important and of
what benefit it is? What impact will it have on client care and client outcomes including
aspects related to quality and safety? How will you know if the project was a success?
Support with evidence-based literature or nursing data.
One reason that this project is important is because bedside report is becoming a
standard in our facility. Nurses must comply with this standard to retain marks as high
performers. However, of even greater importance is the benefit that bedside report can bring
to both patients and staff. Bedside reporting,
Decreases potential for misses and mistakes. Increases patient involvement and
addresses keeping patients informed. Increases trust for patient Decreases
patient waiting at change of shift and feeling forgotten or abandoned. Increases
accountability for nurses Increases new RN skill level RNs can see and hear
what the experienced RN is doing and why. Increases teamwork between
shifts(Studer Group, 2010, p. 173).
With so many positives it is easy to see why incorporating such a report would be
advantageous. Nurses can improve their practice and become more accountable for their

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nursing care while at the same time improving the experience for their patients.
In todays world of healthcare quality and safety are hot topics under frequent
discussion. Our organization also brings up these issues on a regular basis and there is a
strong emphasis on patient satisfaction and their perception of the care they receive. YoderWise (2015) explains this type of emphasis saying, The goal of an organization committed
to quality care is a comprehensive, systematic approach that prevents errors or identifies and
corrects errors so that adverse events are decreased and safety and quality outcomes are
maximized(p. 362). One way to prevent or correct errors is to systematically implement a
bedside report routine. As the Studer Group (2010) explains, the change of shift is one of the
key time frames where errors can occur in patient care and bedside report can help to
decrease those errors(p. 162). In the project overview section I have further outlined how
quality and safety are affected by this project.
To accurately assess whether this project is successful there must be some sort of
benchmarks. Of course the goal is to be specific and measurable to begin with, so a measure
has already been put in place. The target stated in the goal is that nurses and PCTs will
verbalize understanding and compliance. As has already been described, a quiz will be
formulated to gauge understanding. Nurses will also be encouraged to submit anecdotes or
positives that they have experienced when giving bedside report in order to be entered in a
drawing, which will further assist in motivating them to actually implement the change.

H. Signatures:
Project Manager: Sarah Bricker, RN
Nurse Manager/Supervisor: Linnay Minnard RN, BSN
Phone: 616-252-7169 email: Linnay.Minnard@metrogr.org

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References

Gregory, S., Tan, D., Tilrico, M., Edwardson, N., & Gamm, L. (2014). Bedside shift reports:
what does the evidence say? Journal of Nursing Administration, 44(10), 541-545.
doi:10.1097/NNA.0000000000000115
Studer Group. (2010). The Nurse Leader Handbook: The Art and Science of Nurse Leadership.
Gulf Breeze, FL: Fire Starter Publishing.
Yoder-Wise, P. (2015). Leading and Managing in Nursing (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.