Category: Health Care and Life Sciences

Process Improvement paper
Posted on: Monday, February 3, 2020 10:08:15 PM EST

Hello Everyone-

Below is an explanation that gives very specific information regarding the expectations of the paper that is due in Week 6.  An exemplar is also attached so you are able to view an entire completed project.  I am also adding a resource to assist with writing SMART goals.  SMART is an acronym that defines the elements that should be included when writing goals and objectives and stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time limited.  The resource will give you more specific information, but to summarize you want to be certain the objectives written for the process improvement paper are very specific, measurable with a defined method of measurement and time frame in which the measurement will take place.  Of course all goals/objectives should be achievable and relevant to the project. 

The purpose of this assignment is for you to identify a healthcare informatics process that you would like to improve or computerize, and then develop a process for how this improvement will be implemented and evaluated. An important element of any change process is identifying short and long range objectives, developing a methodology to measure those objectives, and identifying factors in the internal and external environment that can affect the success of your project. With respect to the objectives, unlike assignments in other courses, such as 511, they should specify, in measurable terms, what you expect to achieve in the short and long run as a result of the project being implemented. In other words, these are not objectives related to how you will implement the change, because that will be described in the implementation plan. For example, let’s say that you work in the ED and fall risk is not assessed (or assessed sometimes) for patients of a certain age or diagnosis, or some other parameter. If you are proposing an informatics change to ensure that patients are assessed for fall risk, then a short-range objective might be 100% compliance with completing a fall risk assessment.

The process that you select to improve can be as simple as wanting a field on an EHR screen to help capture necessary information or wanting a program to help document a process that currently remains in paper form.  Previous students have written about computerizing various assessment tools, such as those to evaluate pain and skin integrity, while others focused on actual processes, like improving throughput in the ED. Some students have written about developing a system to increase access to and utilization of a patient portal, establishing an electronic appointment reminder system, and creating a new electronic interface to alert a nurse of critical lab values related to the need for positive contact precautions. It doesn’t matter if your project is about a process that is not actually feasible in your organization for budgetary reasons or because you are working in a paper environment.  As nurses you are in the best position to know what you require to provide evidence based, safe patient care. 

When assessing the environment, be sure to specifically differentiate between those factors that are internal versus those that are external. Examples of the internal environment would include staff attitudes, e.g., receptivity to change, or policies or procedures (especially if they are problematic). Examples of the external environment would include regulatory requirements, hospital decision-makers, and EHR vendors.  Again, the key is to determine which factors will substantively affect the outcome of your process change.

When describing options for improvement, make sure they are actually different. Depending on your topic, sometimes the two options are either a full implementation or a partial implementation. Make sure to discuss the potential cost and benefits for each of the options. Keep in mind that costs can include not only dollar amounts but time and staff, i.e., human resources.

It’s always important to substantively address all of the criteria in any rubric.  When you describe the methodology for evaluating the success of your initiative, remember that your metrics must be specific.  For example, it is not sufficient to say that nurse or patient satisfaction will increase without providing detail as to how satisfaction will be measured. Also, the evaluation strategies used to determine the success of your improvement initiative must be directly related to your objectives. For example, if an objective is to improve nurse satisfaction, then you would not include improved patient satisfaction as an indicator of success. The length of the paper should not exceed 7 pages, excluding the title and reference pages. Please be sure to include an introduction (but don’t label it as an introduction) and concluding (which you will label as a conclusion) paragraph.  While you are required to include references, you will be the judge of how many you need for an effective, compelling paper. You should use the rubric criteria as separate headings in your paper.  Name your word file using the required naming convention for assignments and as always, remember APA rules.

Please review the resources and let me know if you have any questions.  Also please note that because the exemplar paper is about handoff communication, this cannot be used as a topic this session.

Process Improvement paper
Posted on: Monday, February 3, 2020 10:08:15 PM EST

Hello Everyone-

Below is an explanation that gives very specific information regarding the expectations of the paper that is due in Week 6.  An exemplar is also attached so you are able to view an entire completed project.  I am also adding a resource to assist with writing SMART goals.  SMART is an acronym that defines the elements that should be included when writing goals and objectives and stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time limited.  The resource will give you more specific information, but to summarize you want to be certain the objectives written for the process improvement paper are very specific, measurable with a defined method of measurement and time frame in which the measurement will take place.  Of course all goals/objectives should be achievable and relevant to the project. 

The purpose of this assignment is for you to identify a healthcare informatics process that you would like to improve or computerize, and then develop a process for how this improvement will be implemented and evaluated. An important element of any change process is identifying short and long range objectives, developing a methodology to measure those objectives, and identifying factors in the internal and external environment that can affect the success of your project. With respect to the objectives, unlike assignments in other courses, such as 511, they should specify, in measurable terms, what you expect to achieve in the short and long run as a result of the project being implemented. In other words, these are not objectives related to how you will implement the change, because that will be described in the implementation plan. For example, let’s say that you work in the ED and fall risk is not assessed (or assessed sometimes) for patients of a certain age or diagnosis, or some other parameter. If you are proposing an informatics change to ensure that patients are assessed for fall risk, then a short-range objective might be 100% compliance with completing a fall risk assessment.

The process that you select to improve can be as simple as wanting a field on an EHR screen to help capture necessary information or wanting a program to help document a process that currently remains in paper form.  Previous students have written about computerizing various assessment tools, such as those to evaluate pain and skin integrity, while others focused on actual processes, like improving throughput in the ED. Some students have written about developing a system to increase access to and utilization of a patient portal, establishing an electronic appointment reminder system, and creating a new electronic interface to alert a nurse of critical lab values related to the need for positive contact precautions. It doesn’t matter if your project is about a process that is not actually feasible in your organization for budgetary reasons or because you are working in a paper environment.  As nurses you are in the best position to know what you require to provide evidence based, safe patient care. 

When assessing the environment, be sure to specifically differentiate between those factors that are internal versus those that are external. Examples of the internal environment would include staff attitudes, e.g., receptivity to change, or policies or procedures (especially if they are problematic). Examples of the external environment would include regulatory requirements, hospital decision-makers, and EHR vendors.  Again, the key is to determine which factors will substantively affect the outcome of your process change.

When describing options for improvement, make sure they are actually different. Depending on your topic, sometimes the two options are either a full implementation or a partial implementation. Make sure to discuss the potential cost and benefits for each of the options. Keep in mind that costs can include not only dollar amounts but time and staff, i.e., human resources.

It’s always important to substantively address all of the criteria in any rubric.  When you describe the methodology for evaluating the success of your initiative, remember that your metrics must be specific.  For example, it is not sufficient to say that nurse or patient satisfaction will increase without providing detail as to how satisfaction will be measured. Also, the evaluation strategies used to determine the success of your improvement initiative must be directly related to your objectives. For example, if an objective is to improve nurse satisfaction, then you would not include improved patient satisfaction as an indicator of success. The length of the paper should not exceed 7 pages, excluding the title and reference pages. Please be sure to include an introduction (but don’t label it as an introduction) and concluding (which you will label as a conclusion) paragraph.  While you are required to include references, you will be the judge of how many you need for an effective, compelling paper. You should use the rubric criteria as separate headings in your paper.  Name your word file using the required naming convention for assignments and as always, remember APA rules.

Please review the resources and let me know if you have any questions.  Also please note that because the exemplar paper is about handoff communication, this cannot be used as a topic this session.

Process Improvement paper
Posted on: Monday, February 3, 2020 10:08:15 PM EST

Hello Everyone-

Below is an explanation that gives very specific information regarding the expectations of the paper that is due in Week 6.  An exemplar is also attached so you are able to view an entire completed project.  I am also adding a resource to assist with writing SMART goals.  SMART is an acronym that defines the elements that should be included when writing goals and objectives and stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time limited.  The resource will give you more specific information, but to summarize you want to be certain the objectives written for the process improvement paper are very specific, measurable with a defined method of measurement and time frame in which the measurement will take place.  Of course all goals/objectives should be achievable and relevant to the project. 

The purpose of this assignment is for you to identify a healthcare informatics process that you would like to improve or computerize, and then develop a process for how this improvement will be implemented and evaluated. An important element of any change process is identifying short and long range objectives, developing a methodology to measure those objectives, and identifying factors in the internal and external environment that can affect the success of your project. With respect to the objectives, unlike assignments in other courses, such as 511, they should specify, in measurable terms, what you expect to achieve in the short and long run as a result of the project being implemented. In other words, these are not objectives related to how you will implement the change, because that will be described in the implementation plan. For example, let’s say that you work in the ED and fall risk is not assessed (or assessed sometimes) for patients of a certain age or diagnosis, or some other parameter. If you are proposing an informatics change to ensure that patients are assessed for fall risk, then a short-range objective might be 100% compliance with completing a fall risk assessment.

The process that you select to improve can be as simple as wanting a field on an EHR screen to help capture necessary information or wanting a program to help document a process that currently remains in paper form.  Previous students have written about computerizing various assessment tools, such as those to evaluate pain and skin integrity, while others focused on actual processes, like improving throughput in the ED. Some students have written about developing a system to increase access to and utilization of a patient portal, establishing an electronic appointment reminder system, and creating a new electronic interface to alert a nurse of critical lab values related to the need for positive contact precautions. It doesn’t matter if your project is about a process that is not actually feasible in your organization for budgetary reasons or because you are working in a paper environment.  As nurses you are in the best position to know what you require to provide evidence based, safe patient care. 

When assessing the environment, be sure to specifically differentiate between those factors that are internal versus those that are external. Examples of the internal environment would include staff attitudes, e.g., receptivity to change, or policies or procedures (especially if they are problematic). Examples of the external environment would include regulatory requirements, hospital decision-makers, and EHR vendors.  Again, the key is to determine which factors will substantively affect the outcome of your process change.

When describing options for improvement, make sure they are actually different. Depending on your topic, sometimes the two options are either a full implementation or a partial implementation. Make sure to discuss the potential cost and benefits for each of the options. Keep in mind that costs can include not only dollar amounts but time and staff, i.e., human resources.

It’s always important to substantively address all of the criteria in any rubric.  When you describe the methodology for evaluating the success of your initiative, remember that your metrics must be specific.  For example, it is not sufficient to say that nurse or patient satisfaction will increase without providing detail as to how satisfaction will be measured. Also, the evaluation strategies used to determine the success of your improvement initiative must be directly related to your objectives. For example, if an objective is to improve nurse satisfaction, then you would not include improved patient satisfaction as an indicator of success. The length of the paper should not exceed 7 pages, excluding the title and reference pages. Please be sure to include an introduction (but don’t label it as an introduction) and concluding (which you will label as a conclusion) paragraph.  While you are required to include references, you will be the judge of how many you need for an effective, compelling paper. You should use the rubric criteria as separate headings in your paper.  Name your word file using the required naming convention for assignments and as always, remember APA rules.

Please review the resources and let me know if you have any questions.  Also please note that because the exemplar paper is about handoff communication, this cannot be used as a topic this session.

Process Improvement paper
Posted on: Monday, February 3, 2020 10:08:15 PM EST

Hello Everyone-

Below is an explanation that gives very specific information regarding the expectations of the paper that is due in Week 6.  An exemplar is also attached so you are able to view an entire completed project.  I am also adding a resource to assist with writing SMART goals.  SMART is an acronym that defines the elements that should be included when writing goals and objectives and stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time limited.  The resource will give you more specific information, but to summarize you want to be certain the objectives written for the process improvement paper are very specific, measurable with a defined method of measurement and time frame in which the measurement will take place.  Of course all goals/objectives should be achievable and relevant to the project. 

The purpose of this assignment is for you to identify a healthcare informatics process that you would like to improve or computerize, and then develop a process for how this improvement will be implemented and evaluated. An important element of any change process is identifying short and long range objectives, developing a methodology to measure those objectives, and identifying factors in the internal and external environment that can affect the success of your project. With respect to the objectives, unlike assignments in other courses, such as 511, they should specify, in measurable terms, what you expect to achieve in the short and long run as a result of the project being implemented. In other words, these are not objectives related to how you will implement the change, because that will be described in the implementation plan. For example, let’s say that you work in the ED and fall risk is not assessed (or assessed sometimes) for patients of a certain age or diagnosis, or some other parameter. If you are proposing an informatics change to ensure that patients are assessed for fall risk, then a short-range objective might be 100% compliance with completing a fall risk assessment.

The process that you select to improve can be as simple as wanting a field on an EHR screen to help capture necessary information or wanting a program to help document a process that currently remains in paper form.  Previous students have written about computerizing various assessment tools, such as those to evaluate pain and skin integrity, while others focused on actual processes, like improving throughput in the ED. Some students have written about developing a system to increase access to and utilization of a patient portal, establishing an electronic appointment reminder system, and creating a new electronic interface to alert a nurse of critical lab values related to the need for positive contact precautions. It doesn’t matter if your project is about a process that is not actually feasible in your organization for budgetary reasons or because you are working in a paper environment.  As nurses you are in the best position to know what you require to provide evidence based, safe patient care. 

When assessing the environment, be sure to specifically differentiate between those factors that are internal versus those that are external. Examples of the internal environment would include staff attitudes, e.g., receptivity to change, or policies or procedures (especially if they are problematic). Examples of the external environment would include regulatory requirements, hospital decision-makers, and EHR vendors.  Again, the key is to determine which factors will substantively affect the outcome of your process change.

When describing options for improvement, make sure they are actually different. Depending on your topic, sometimes the two options are either a full implementation or a partial implementation. Make sure to discuss the potential cost and benefits for each of the options. Keep in mind that costs can include not only dollar amounts but time and staff, i.e., human resources.

It’s always important to substantively address all of the criteria in any rubric.  When you describe the methodology for evaluating the success of your initiative, remember that your metrics must be specific.  For example, it is not sufficient to say that nurse or patient satisfaction will increase without providing detail as to how satisfaction will be measured. Also, the evaluation strategies used to determine the success of your improvement initiative must be directly related to your objectives. For example, if an objective is to improve nurse satisfaction, then you would not include improved patient satisfaction as an indicator of success. The length of the paper should not exceed 7 pages, excluding the title and reference pages. Please be sure to include an introduction (but don’t label it as an introduction) and concluding (which you will label as a conclusion) paragraph.  While you are required to include references, you will be the judge of how many you need for an effective, compelling paper. You should use the rubric criteria as separate headings in your paper.  Name your word file using the required naming convention for assignments and as always, remember APA rules.

Please review the resources and let me know if you have any questions.  Also please note that because the exemplar paper is about handoff communication, this cannot be used as a topic this session.

    n a PowerPoint Presentation, address the following. 
        Introduction to the presentation
        Identify and describe a theory or model and explain its relevance to your nurse practitioner specialty.
        Describe an issue or concern that is related to  your nurse practitioner specialty, and explain its impact on health care outcomes
        Explain how the theory or model can be used as a framework to guide evidence-based practice to address the issue or concern, and discuss the unique insight or perspective offered through the application of this theory or model. 
        Conclusion to the presentation
        References

Preparing the presentation

Submission Requirements

    Application: Use Microsoft Word 2013 to create the PowerPoint presentation. 
    Length: The PowerPoint presentation must be 7 total slides (excluding title and reference slides).  The Kaltura presentation should be between 5-15 minutes.
    Please use the Kaltura feature available in your classroom to record and submit your presentation. Additional instructions on Kaltura can be found under Course Resources.
    Speaker notes should be used and include in-text citations when applicable. Submit PowerPoint with speaker notes as an attachment to the Dropbox.
    A minimum of three (3) scholarly literature sources must be used

As health care costs continue to soar, the financial structure of health care organizations remains at the forefront of public discussion. Some would argue that finance is exerting too much influence on the structure of health care organizations and services to the detriment of the quality of care and patient safety. Others vehemently disagree noting that being financially aware is creating efficient forms of health care services that are beneficial to patients. There are also specific advocates for both for-profit and non-profit structures. Further, in the process of becoming a doctoral researcher, it is necessary to develop the ability to organize and synthesize the related extant literature and to write well in an academic style. Writing skill is improved by accepting feedback and carrying out revision. In this assignment, you will revise a previous submission regarding health care structures and analyze the role of finance in determining the structure of health care organizations and health care services.

General Requirements:
Use the following information to ensure successful completion of the assignment:

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

This assignment requires that at least two additional scholarly research sources related to this topic, and at least one in-text citation from each source be included.

Directions:
Part 1
Present a revised version (1,250-1,550 words total) of the paper Contrast of Health Care Structures that makes improvements in the caliber of the writing and incorporates instructor feedback regarding content and writing. Include the following in your submission:

A reflection (250-300 words) that provides a bulleted list of the changes you made to the paper and discusses your revision process including how you incorporated your instructor’s feedback into the revised version. Similar to an abstract, this section will receive its own page following the title page and preceding the introduction to the paper.
The revised paper that incorporates instructor feedback; clarifies the thesis statement and solidifies supporting arguments; edits for grammar, spelling, and punctuation; adjusts word choice to display professional and scholarly language, and adjusts sentence structure for improved readability.
Part 2
Write an additional 1,000-1,250 words in which you analyze the role of finance in determining the structure of health care organizations and health care services. Include the following in your analysis:

A discussion of the internal and external financial structures that influence a health care organization.
A discussion of how the Affordable Care Act is affecting health care finance.
A discussion of how finance is influencing the quality of care and patient safety.
A discussion of the ethical concerns surrounding health care finance.

Instructions

Step 1: Research state laws, and any federal laws if applicable, regarding treatment and parental rights when language and cultural barriers are involved.
Step 2: Determine, through professional research, if you believe the decision to remove the child from parental care and place her in foster care was a just decision and explain your stance.
Step 3:Discuss the process your facility has in place and if there is no policy in place, create one.
Step 3: Compile your research and create a professional paper that adheres to APA guidelines.
Step 4: Ensure you are researching only scholarly works. It is recommended to use Concordes Online Library: http://galesites.com/menu/index.php?loc=miss22358 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.(Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (Links to an external site.)
Step 5: You must have at least five (5) outside resources. Wikipedia is notan acceptable reference.
Step 5: Save and submit your assignment.
Scenario:

Maria was a 4-month-old Hispanic infant with a history of Downs syndrome and an ASD/VSD congenital anomaly. After her cardiac surgery, she had several complications that resulted in a lengthy ICU stay. During that time, she had two cardio-pulmonary arrests, which resulted in the need to try to contact her parents. Her parents visited infrequently due to work obligations and the need to care for their other children. They were Spanish speaking, which made it difficult for the staff to have any type of on-going communication and contact with the parents.

After the second cardiac arrest, the physician attempted to contact the parents by calling the phone number on the chart. The number turned out to be that of the eldest daughter, who was only 21 years of age. The daughter began to cry and told the physician that she had never been able to tell her mother how sick Maria was, knowing she would not want to hear news like that about her own child. She continued to state that she did not want to be used as an interpreter.

A conference was scheduled between the parents, physicians, social work and interpreter. This conference resulted in the parents stating that if the childs heart stopped, then God must want her and they wanted nothing further done. However, they consented to a tracheostomy and a G-tube because they were told the child would be more comfortable.

The child was hospitalized for 8 months. The family was unable to learn to provide the care required for a child with multiple needs such as Maria. She was placed in foster care and became a ward of the state.

Assignment Submission:

The use of outside resources is required and all papers must be cited and written in APA format.

Writing Assignment:

This week is all about data!  Your critical skills assignment focuses on the basic skills needed to manipulate quantitative (numerical measurements) data.  For this weeks writing assignment, you will test your skills at interpreting data.  Below is a chart that shows Child mortality rates in percentage of the world population that live past 5 years of age (or conversely, those that die under 5 years of age). 

Using your research skills, interpret the graph below to tell me what we are looking at, and importantly, what does it mean?  Is there a point in time where the rate of child mortality was rose or dropped quickly?  What type of relationship is shown below?  In no more than 2 pages (you can use an additional citation page as a 3rd page) explain what you see in the graph below.  Take the next step and research at least 1 article that might provide you insight as to why this trend has developed.  Make sure to either research something independently, or use the provided article as a resource to get you started.

Different types of writing features different styles.  So far we wrote in the first person and told a story, and then in third person.  Data analysis should generally be very concise and told in the third person (i.e. short sweet and to the point).  The main objective here is to TRY to keep the page count to a minimum, and dont use 3 sentences to say something that can be said in 1.  Give an overview of what is shown and what trend you see, and then put on your critical thinking hat to come up with why this may have changed on a global scale.

For this assignment, you do NOT need to fully format your paper in APA.  Please use APA in text citations (if you have references you are pointing me to), an APA citation or references page, and use 12 point font of your choosing with 1 inch margins to complete this assignment. 

Newborn screening and haematopoietic stem cell transplantation, have made a major impact on the diagnosis, and management of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID)
Discuss the full implications of this statement.  Discuss whether, in your opinion, the statement is a reflection of the current immunological awareness and practice in this area of study, or whether you have an alternative view.

A 21-year old female (A.M) presents to the urgent care clinic with symptoms of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and a fever for 3 days. She states that she has Type I diabetes and has not been managing her blood sugars since shes been ill and unable to keep any food down. Shes only tolerated sips of water and juices. Since shes also been unable to eat, she hasnt taken any insulin as directed. While helping A.M. from the lobby to the examining room you note that shes unsteady, note that her skin in warm and flushed and that shes drowsy. You also note that shes breathing rapidly and smell a slight sweet/fruity odor. A.M. has a challenge answering questions but keeps asking for water to drink.

You get more information from A.M. and learn

She had some readings on her glucometer which were reading high
She vomits almost every time she takes in fluid
She hasnt voided for a day but voided a great deal the day before
Shes been sleeping long hours and finally woke up this morning and decided to seek care
Current labs and vital signs:

What is the pathophysiology for the condition you believe A.M. has?
Relate the etiology and clinical manifestations for the condition you identified for A.M.
The practitioner at the urgent care facility makes the decision that A.M. needs to go to the hospital by ambulance. Once at the Emergency Department (ED), the ED physician orders these items:

1000 ml Lactated Ringers (LR) IV stat
36 units NPH (Humulin N) and 20 units regular (Humulin R) insulin SQ now
CBC with differential; CMP: blood cultures X2 sites; clean-catch urine for UA and C&S; stool for ova and parasites; Clostridium difficile toxin, and C&S; serum lactate; ketone; osmolality; ABGs on room air
1800 calorie, carbohydrate controlled diet
Bed rest
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) 650 mg orally Q4 hrs PRN
Furosemide (Lasix) 60 mg IV push now
Urinary output every hour
VS every shift
The orders above — which are questionable related to her condition and which are appropriate?

What are the expected treatments for this condition?

Three pages of the pathophysiology, clinical manifestation, etiology and treatment. I will do the running head myself