| Course | NURS 4106 Patient Safety and Quality Improvement |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 7 |
| Paper type | Intervention plan |
| Length | About 530 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NURS 4106 Week 7
Cause-Linked Intervention Plan: A Protected Medication Pass Tested on One Hall, One Shift, One PDSA Cycle
Student Name
College of Nursing, Walden University
NURS 4106: Patient Safety and Quality Improvement
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Cause-Linked Intervention Plan: A Protected Medication Pass Tested on One Hall, One Shift, One PDSA Cycle
The Link to the Cause Analysis
The project's cause analysis of medication administration errors on a composite 28-bed medical unit found that interruptions during the medication pass were the most frequent contributing factor, cited in 11 of 17 reviewed events: phone calls to the nurse, questions from colleagues, and call lights answered mid-pass. The intervention therefore targets interruptions and nothing broader. The link is supported by research: in an observational study of medication administrations in two hospitals, interruptions occurred in just over half of administrations, and each interruption was associated with about a 12.7% increase in clinical errors (Westbrook et al., 2010).
The Intervention
A protected medication pass has three parts. First, a visible signal: the nurse wears a bright vest while preparing and giving the 09:00 medications, which tells colleagues and visitors not to interrupt except for emergencies. Second, calls redirected: the unit clerk holds phone calls for the nurse and takes messages, and a designated "float" nurse answers call lights on that hall during the pass. Third, a quiet preparation space: medications are prepared at the dispensing cabinet with a sign asking others to wait. The evidence for such bundles is modest. A systematic review found weak evidence that interventions reduce interruption rates and very limited evidence that they reduce medication errors, largely because studies were uncontrolled and combined several changes at once (Raban & Westbrook, 2014). That weakness is the reason to test small before spreading.
The First PDSA Cycle
Plan: test the protected pass for the 09:00 medication pass on the east hall, 14 beds, day shift only, for 2 weeks. Predict that interruptions per medication pass will fall by at least half and that nurses will find the vest acceptable. Assign the unit clerk and one float nurse, and brief the east hall staff and the physicians who round there (Langley et al., 2009).
Do: an observer from the unit's quality team shadows the 09:00 pass on 6 of the 10 days and counts interruptions per pass, recording the source of each. Nurses record any problem on a card.
Study: compare interruptions per pass during the test with a 1-week baseline observed the same way on the same hall. Review the cards for unintended effects, such as delayed responses to calls or physicians unable to reach a nurse.
Act: if interruptions fall and no serious problem appears, adapt and extend to the west hall for a second cycle; if interruptions do not fall, look at which sources persisted before changing anything else; if a new problem appears, fix it before spreading. Medication error rates are tracked but not used to judge this first cycle, because errors are too infrequent to change detectably in 2 weeks.
Why This Size
One hall, one shift, and one medication pass keep the test small enough to observe closely, cheap enough to stop, and fast enough to learn from before the next cycle. A unit-wide launch would make it impossible to tell whether the vest, the redirected calls, or simply the attention of the project was responsible for any change.
References
Langley, G. J., Moen, R. D., Nolan, K. M., Nolan, T. W., Norman, C. L., & Provost, L. P. (2009). The improvement guide: A practical approach to enhancing organizational performance (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Raban, M. Z., & Westbrook, J. I. (2014). Are interventions to reduce interruptions and errors during medication administration effective? A systematic review. BMJ Quality & Safety, 23(5), 414-421. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2013-002118
Westbrook, J. I., Woods, A., Rob, M. I., Dunsmuir, W. T. M., & Day, R. O. (2010). Association of interruptions with an increased risk and severity of medication administration errors. Archives of Internal Medicine, 170(8), 683-690. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2010.65
NURS 4106 Week 7 instructions, in plain terms
The seventh NURS 4106 week usually asks for an intervention plan tied to an earlier cause analysis. You link each intervention component to a cause, describe the intervention concretely and plan a first PDSA cycle with scope, measures and timing. Faculty score alignment above all, so education for all staff with no link to a cause loses marks. Cite evidence and the Model for Improvement in APA 7. The first cycle should be small. Not every contributing factor needs a component, but the main ones should. Education can be part of a plan if it addresses a cause. NURS 4106 faculty want a short table linking each component to a cause. Define the first cycle's scope, measure and dates.
Inside the NURS 4106 Week 7 example
Three to four pages under template headings. A linkage table opens the section: each of three contributing factors from the earlier analysis sits in one column, and the intervention component answering it sits beside it. Interruptions by phone calls map to call redirection through the unit clerk; interruptions by colleagues map to a visible signal worn during the pass; interruptions at the dispensing cabinet map to a marked quiet zone. The narrative then describes the intervention in operational detail: who does what, when, and with what materials. A PDSA section lays out the first cycle around the Model for Improvement's aim, measure and change questions, covering the aim, the measure of success and the change itself. Evidence from the prior stage supports each component.
Where the marks sit in the NURS 4106 Week 7 rubric
Intervention rows are scored on alignment above all: does each part of the plan answer a cause identified earlier? Plans that propose education for all staff, unrelated to the specific factors found, tend to lose points even when well written. The sample's linkage table makes that alignment checkable at a glance. Feasibility is the next consideration, and a small first test with defined roles reads as realistic. PDSA structure is often scored element by element, and predictions in the Plan phase are a frequent gap in submissions. Evidence support matters, and carrying the appraised sources forward shows the project hanging together. Acknowledging an unaddressed cause demonstrates judgment. Clarity and template adherence cover the remaining rows, and a missing heading costs points even when its content appears somewhere else.
NURS 4106 Week 7 help from the desk
Intervention plans lose the most when they propose education for all staff without tying it to a cause. Link every component. Testing on the whole unit for a month is another common mistake. Start with one hall and one shift. Writers also skip baseline measurement. Count interruptions before. Avoid tools with no evidence. Cite interruption studies. Name who runs the cycle. Close with what result would lead to the next cycle. Writers also forget patients' needs during the protected pass, such as call lights. Plan who answers them. Another frequent slip is no plan for the second cycle. Sketch it.
Get a NURS 4106 Week 7 example written to your instructions
Include your cause analysis with the intervention template and rubric, since the plan has to answer the factors it found. The desk writes a custom intervention plan linked factor by factor, with a first PDSA cycle scaled to one unit. First one free, delivered in 24-48h, predictions already written into the Plan phase.
More NURS 4106 papers and BSN samples
- NURS 4106 Week 1: Unit Safety Culture Post
- NURS 4106 Week 2: Near-Miss Reporting Thread
- NURS 4106 Week 3: Quantified Problem Statement
- NURS 4106 Week 4: Contributing Factor Analysis
- NURS 4106 Week 5: Just Culture Thread
- NURS 4106 Week 6: Evidence Appraisal Table
- NURS 4106 Week 8: Measures and Data Plan
- NURS 4106 Week 9: Rollout and Stakeholder Plan
- NURS 4106 Week 10: Assembled Improvement Project
- NURS 4106 Week 11: Hold-the-Gains Reflection
- NURS 4110 Week 7: Policy Impact Post
- NURS 3111 Week 7: Remote Monitoring Analysis
- NURS 4151 Week 7: Evidence Leveling Table
- NURS 3030 Week 7: Advocacy Plan Draft
NURS 4106 Week 7 questions, answered
Why is the first PDSA cycle so small?
Because the point of a first cycle is learning, not proof. Testing on one hall for one shift limits disruption, makes problems visible quickly, and lets the team adjust before spreading the change. The Model for Improvement treats small tests as the normal path to larger change. Plans that start with a hospital-wide rollout skip the testing logic that PDSA exists to provide.
Does every contributing factor need an intervention component?
Every factor the plan addresses needs one, and the plan should say which factors it leaves aside. The sample addresses three and names staffing as outside its scope. Trying to answer every factor produces an unfocused plan. Explaining why some are excluded, whether for feasibility or control, shows the prioritization instructors look for in this stage.
Is education ever a valid intervention?
Yes, when the cause analysis identified a knowledge gap. Education is weak against system causes like interruptions, because knowing about the problem does not stop the phone from ringing. The sample includes brief staff orientation to the new process as support rather than as the intervention itself. Rubrics tend to question plans in which education is the only component.
Where can I find a free NURS 4106 Week 7 sample paper?
The protected medication pass plan is printed here with each component linked to a cause and the one-hall, one-shift PDSA cycle.
What cause does the NURS 4106 Week 7 plan target?
Interruptions during the medication pass, found in 11 of 17 reviewed error events.