A nurse on a quality control committee is evaluating the results of recently implemented measures designed to reduce client medication errors. Which of the following methods should the nurse use to evaluate the success of the changes?

Rationale: A. While analyzing costs can provide information on efficiency and resource utilization, it does not directly measure whether the interventions reduced medication errors. Cost analysis alone cannot determine the success of the quality improvement initiative. B. Staff satisfaction is important for engagement and long-term sustainability, but it does not provide a direct measure of whether medication errors decreased. Satisfaction surveys cannot replace objective outcome data. C. This is the correct approach. By collecting and analyzing quantitative data on medication errors before and after the interventions, the nurse can objectively determine whether the quality improvement measures were effective. This method directly measures the desired outcome—reduction in medication errors—and is a key component of evaluating any patient safety initiative. D. Benchmarks help set goals and standards for comparison, but establishing a benchmark alone does not evaluate the actual effectiveness of the interventions. Benchmarks are used to guide expectations, not to measure post-implementation outcomes