1

Needs Assessment vs. Needs Analysis

Your Name

University

Course

Professor

Due: Date
 2

Needs Assessment vs. Needs Analysis

As an instructional designer working for a healthcare organization named Healthfirst, I

know the problem that must be addressed is the high rate of medication errors nurses make.

According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, medication errors significantly cause

morbidity and mortality in the United States. Nurses are responsible for administering

medication to patients, and medication errors can occur due to factors such as poor

communication, lack of knowledge, and inadequate training (Institute of Medicine, 2006).

Therefore, there is a need for training that can equip nurses with the necessary knowledge and

skills to prevent medication errors and promote patient safety.

Impact and Stakeholders

Nurses, patients, and the organization are essential to executing the change. The training

will enable nurses to reduce medication mistakes and deliver safer patient care by enhancing

their knowledge and abilities. The training will lower the risk of medication mistakes and

increase the safety of patients. For the company, the training will lower the expense of lawsuits

stemming from drug mistakes and enhance its reputation.

The rationale for Instructional Intervention

Education is the most effective method for resolving the issue of mistakes that nurses

make while administering medications to patients. According to research by the Society for

Human Resource Management (2020), proper training gives workers the information and

abilities to carry out their job responsibilities appropriately. In addition, the repercussions of not

dealing with the issue might have significant repercussions. Medication mistakes may result in

adverse effects for patients, including damage, incapacity, and even death in extreme cases. In
 3

addition, errors in medicine administration might result in legal action against the organization,

which can be expensive and detrimental to the organization's image (Brown and Green, 2020).

According to research, training may be a helpful method for reducing the number of

medical mistakes that occur. For instance, a training program for nurses that emphasized

communication and collaboration was shown to minimize medication mistakes drastically. This

research was conducted by Nuckols et al. (2017). According to another research conducted by

Coyle et al. (2019), a training program for nurses centered on medication safety substantially

improved drug knowledge and reduced medication mistakes. These studies prove that training

can reduce medication errors and improve patient safety.

In conclusion, nurses' education is the most critical factor in resolving the problem of medication

mistakes. The nurses, the patients, and the business all play essential roles in making the shift

happen. Education is the best answer since neglecting the issue might potentially lead to

catastrophic effects. It has been discovered that training is effective in reducing the number of

medication errors, and the training program that has been recommended has the potential to

increase patient safety while simultaneously reducing the cost of litigation. As a consequence,

the educational intervention recommended for use in Healthfirst is of the utmost importance with

regard to improving patient safety and cutting down on the number of instances of

pharmaceutical errors.
 4

References

Brown, A., & Green, T. (2020). The essentials of instructional design: Connecting fundamental

principles with process and practice (4th ed.). Routledge.

Coyle, L., Taylor, J., & Trouth, A. J. (2019). Medication safety education: Impact on knowledge

and medication errors among nurses. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 9(6), 66-

73.

Institute of Medicine. (2006). Preventing medication errors. National Academies Press.

Nuckols, T. K., Smith-Spangler, C., Morton, S. C., Asch, S. M., Patel, V. M., Anderson, L. J.,

Deichsel, E. L., Shekelle, P. G. (2017). The effectiveness of computerized order entry at

reducing preventable adverse drug events and medication errors in hospital settings: A

systematic review and meta-analysis. Systematic Reviews, 6(1), 56