The collection of evidence is an activity that occurs with an endgame in mind. For example, law enforcement professionals collect evidence to support a decision to charge those accused of criminal activity. Similarly, evidence-based healthcare practitioners collect evidence to support decisions in pursuit of specific healthcare outcomes.
In this Assignment, you will identify an issue or opportunity for change within your healthcare organization and propose an idea for a change in practice supported by an EBP approach.
To Prepare:
Reflect on the four peer-reviewed articles you critically appraised in Module 4.
Reflect on your current healthcare organization and think about potential opportunities for evidence-based change.
The Assignment: (Evidence-Based Project)
Part 5: Recommending an Evidence-Based Practice Change
Create an 8- to 9-slide PowerPoint presentation in which you do the following:
Briefly describe your healthcare organization, including its culture and readiness for change. (You may opt to keep various elements of this anonymous, such as your company name.)
Describe the current problem or opportunity for change. Include in this description the circumstances surrounding the need for change, the scope of the issue, the stakeholders involved, and the risks associated with change implementation in general.
Propose an evidence-based idea for a change in practice using an EBP approach to decision making. Note that you may find further research needs to be conducted if sufficient evidence is not discovered.
Describe your plan for knowledge transfer of this change, including knowledge creation, dissemination, and organizational adoption and implementation.
Describe the measurable outcomes you hope to achieve with the implementation of this evidence-based change.
Be sure to provide APA citations of the supporting evidence-based peer-reviewed articles you selected to support your thinking.
Add a lessons learned section that includes the following:
A summary of the critical appraisal of the peer-reviewed articles you previously submitted
An explanation about what you learned from completing the evaluation table (1 slide)
An explanation about what you learned from completing the levels of evidence table (1 slide)
An explanation about what you learned from completing the outcomes synthesis table (1 slide)
Part 5: Recommending an Evidence-Based Practice Change
Create an 8- to 9-slide PowerPoint presentation in which you do the following:
· Briefly describe your healthcare organization, including its culture and readiness for change.
· Describe the current problem or opportunity for change. Include in this description the circumstances surrounding the need for change, the scope of the issue, the stakeholders involved, and the risks associated with change implementation in general.
· Propose an evidence-based idea for a change in practice using an evidence-based practice approach to decision making. Note that you may find further research needs to be conducted if sufficient evidence is not discovered.
· Describe your plan for knowledge transfer of this change, including knowledge creation, dissemination, and organizational adoption and implementation.
· Describe the measurable outcomes you hope to achieve with the implementation of this evidence-based change.
· Be sure to provide APA citations of the supporting evidence-based peer-reviewed articles you selected to support your thinking.
Add a lessons learned section that includes:
· A summary of the critical appraisal of the peer-reviewed articles you previously submitted.
· What did you learn from completing the evaluation table?
· What did you learn from completing the levels of evidence table?
· What did you learn from completing the outcomes synthesis table?
Written Expression and Formatting—Paragraph Development and Organization:
Paragraphs make clear points that support well-developed ideas, flow logically, and demonstrate continuity of ideas. Sentences are carefully focused—neither long and rambling nor short and lacking substance. A clear and comprehensive purpose statement and introduction is provided which delineates all required criteria.
Written Expression and Formatting—English Writing Standards:
Correct grammar, mechanics, and proper punctuation.
Written Expression and Formatting—The paper follows correct format for title page, headings, font, spacing, margins, indentations, page numbers, running head, parenthetical/in-text citations, and reference list.
– essay bishop writing service
Sample Assignment
The health organization is ready for change since the top management and nurses acknowledge there is a problem. They support a complete change to eliminate the current health crisis. The readiness for change is geared by the negative effects of the problem on the quality of healthcare and nurses. The organization could also be referred to as ready for change since change management has occurred previously in the healthcare settings (Ritchie & Straus, 2019). The previous change management was successful thus the organization has an experience of implementing change (Hoffman, Montori & Del Mar, 2014). The change is expected to bring a new dispensation and thus the readiness for change. Nurses are eager for the change and thus they support it fully.
The current problem is that nurses have been overloaded with tasks they need to complete during their shifts. When the tasks are not completed, a nurse is compelled to extend their shift to complete their duties. The healthcare organization has not employed nurses for a long time, yet some have quit their jobs and others on leave. Nurses have to deal with long shifts, which have frustrated many clinicians (Mauco, Scott & Mars, 2018). The problem has resulted in burnouts which cause medical errors. Patients are dissatisfied and the situation has destroyed the reputation of the organization. For example, a nurse took the wrong patient to the theater unknowingly. The only risk associated with change is the lack of motivation for the already employed nurses.
One of the evidence-based ideas to solve the current problem is to reduce the patient-nurse ratio. The solution is to comply with the evidence-based findings of allocating a specific number of patients to a single nurse. The appropriate ration can be realized if more nurses are hired (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2018). Additionally, the healthcare facility needs to employ more nurses and maintain friendly schedules (Mauco, Scott & Mars, 2018). It is also important to allow nurses to enjoy their work by providing all clinicians with a day off, paid leave and friendly night shifts. On the other hand, one of the causes of medical errors is when nurses are asked to report to work yet they are sick. Therefore, nurses should not be compelled to work when they are sick.
The plan for knowledge transfer is meant to provide a solution to the current problem. The organization has ended up in this situation due to a lack of necessary skills on the welfare of nurses. Knowledge transfer comprises of knowledge creation and dissemination. The organization will hire consultants to work alongside experienced nurses to develop training manuals. It is also important to adopt cross-training to ensure new nurses to be mentored by the experienced ones. It will ensure a wealth of knowledge is retained in the organization (Yusif, Hafeez-Baig & Soar, 2017). The knowledge will be shared during a nurse workshop. The organization will adopt the recommendations of the workshop. The proposed changes will be implemented immediately. The implementation should lead to the creation of policies that will maintain the change and foster the quality of treatment.
The evidence-based change on the problem of poor nurse-patient ratios should lead to measurable outcomes. The measurable outcomes will be both from the nurses and patients. Nurses will be satisfied with their job due to the friendly work environment and taking a day off. They will not feel threated to work all the time due to fear of being fired. The rate of medical errors will reduce since nurses will be sober and happy all the time (Yusif, Hafeez-Baig & Soar, 2017). Nurses will always report to work since they want to serve humanity and thus they will uphold diligence in their work. The nurse-patient ratio will reduce the professional ratio. As a result, it will increase patient outcomes and satisfaction. When the nurses are satisfied, their turnover will reduce.
The critical appraisal is a healthy professional exercise meant to evaluate the quality of research studies. The reason is that research informs policies and decision-making in healthcare (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2018). It is thus necessary to evaluate their value and applicability in practical medical practice. The four articles reviewed provided an opportunity to dissect research studies. I learned that the design and theoretical framework were crucial in research (Grant & Booth, 2009). I learned that research studies are meant to provide evidence-based information. It is also important to note that the studies were recent and thus they have been accessed by studies or healthcare practitioners. However, I learned that only systematic reviews are relied on since they have level I evidence.
The evaluation table was an opportunity to analyze the theoretical framework, design and sample size. The evaluation table involved comparing peer-reviewed articles. I learned that there is a difference between qualitative and quantitative studies. A study can be applied in practical healthcare settings if the findings are justified (Grant & Booth, 2009). The purpose of the evaluation was to check the value of a study and how applicable it was to the medical practice. I learned that research should be comprehensive to make an impact on healthcare policies. Therefore, it was a wonderful experience to find out the best articles and analyze them. It was also a healthy exercise of knowledge acquisition.
The level of evidence table was a source of knowledge to my nursing career. The reason is that it showed me that various research studies can be carried out, but they will be rarely relied on for decision-making or policy formulation (Hoffman, Montori & Del Mar, 2014). The reason is due to the different levels of evidence. The evaluation table helped me to learn the different levels of evidence and their impact on a study (Grant & Booth, 2009). On the other hand, I learned that the sample, design, and framework of a study affect the outcome. Additionally, I learned that studies with few participants were not convincing. The few participants could not represent the general population and thus their findings could not be applied in decision making.
The synthesis table helped me to understand the role of theoretical perspective, design, and number of participants on the conclusions of a study. The reason is that studies that had few participants still had a weak value due to their design or theoretical framework. The synthesis table provided an opportunity to learn the value of a study in medical practice (Grant & Booth, 2009). It helped me learn the level of bias in a study affects the quality of the findings. The bias results from the selection of the design and the number of participants who were involved in the study. I learned that quality studies involved many participants to avoid bias. Therefore, any hint of bias could lower the quality of a research study.
References
Grant, M. J., & Booth, A. (2009). A typology of reviews: An analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information and Libraries Journal, 26, 91–108. doi:10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x.
Ritchie, L. M. P., & Straus, S. E. (2019). Assessing Organizational Readiness for Change. International Journal of Health Policy & Management, 8(1).
Yusif, S., Hafeez-Baig, A., & Soar, J. (2017). E-health readiness assessment factors and measuring tools: a systematic review. International journal of medical informatics, 107, 56-64.
Mauco, K. L., Scott, R. E., & Mars, M. (2018). Critical analysis of e-health readiness assessment frameworks: suitability for application in developing countries. Journal of telemedicine and telecare, 24(2), 110-117.
Hoffman, T. C., Montori, V. M., & Del Mar, C. (2014). The connection between evidence-based medicine and shared decision making. Journal of the American Medical Association, 312(13), 1295–1296. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.10186. Retrieved from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/1910118
Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2018). Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: A guide to best practice (4th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.
