PRACTICE FOCUSED QUESTION

Hi, for this assignment I need to develop a practice focus question; my practice gap is nursing shortages.

PRACTICE FOCUSED QUESTION

“At the heart of evidence-based practice is a clinical question” (Twa, 2016). A practice focused question can serve as a basis to design an evidence-based study.

For this Assignment, you have identified a practice problem and developed practicum objectives. To further guide your practicum experience, you will need to develop a practice focused question.

Reference: Twa, M. D. (2016). Evidence-based clinical practice: Asking focused questions (PICO). Optometry and Vision Science, 93(10), 1187–1188. https://doi.org/10.1097/OPX.0000000000001006

 

RESOURCES

Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.

WEEKLY RESOURCES

TO PREPARE
Review Learning Resources related to the practice question.
Review colleague feedback from the Discussion: Discuss Gap in Practice to apply revisions to your practice focused question.
THE ASSIGNMENT
Construct a practice focused question.

Submit your Assignment by Day 6 of Week 2.

SUBMISSION INFORMATION
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To submit your completed assignment, save your Assignment as WK2Assgn2_LastName_Firstinitial
Then, click on Start Assignment near the top of the page.
Next, click on Upload File and select Submit Assignment for review.
Rubric
NURS_8502_Week2_Assignment2_Rubric
NURS_8502_Week2_Assignment2_Rubric
Criteria Ratings Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeIdentify a practice focused question specific to your organization or facility.
45 to >40.0 pts
Excellent
The response accurately and clearly identifies a practice focused question specific to the organization or facility.
40 to >35.0 pts
Good
The response accurately identifies a practice focused question specific to the organization or facility.
35 to >31.0 pts
Fair
The response inaccurately or vaguely identifies a practice focused question specific to the organization or facility.
31 to >0 pts
Poor
The response inaccurately and vaguely identifies a practice focused question specific to the organization or facility, or it is missing.
45 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeIdentify a practice focused question that can be found in literature.
40 to >35.0 pts
Excellent
The response accurately and clearly identifies a practice focused question that can be found in literature.
35 to >31.0 pts
Good
The response accurately identifies a practice focused question that can be found in literature.
31 to >27.0 pts
Fair
The response inaccurately and vaguely identifies a practice focused question that is vaguely found in literature.
27 to >0 pts
Poor
The response inaccurately and vaguely identifies a practice focused question that is vaguely found in literature, or it is missing.
40 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWritten 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.
5 to >4.0 pts
Excellent
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity…. A clear and comprehensive purpose statement, introduction, and conclusion is provided which delineates all required criteria.
4 to >3.5 pts
Good
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 80% of the time. Purpose, introduction, and conclusion of the assignment is stated, yet is brief and not descriptive.
3.5 to >3.0 pts
Fair
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 60%–79% of the time. … Purpose, introduction, and conclusion of the assignment is vague or off topic.
3 to >0 pts
Poor
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity < 60% of the time…. No purpose statement, introduction, or conclusion was provided.
5 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWritten Expression and Formatting – English writing standards: Correct grammar, mechanics, and proper punctuation
5 to >4.0 pts
Excellent
Uses correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation with no errors.
4 to >3.5 pts
Good
Contains a few (1 or 2) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.
3.5 to >3.0 pts
Fair
Contains several (3 or 4) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.
3 to >0 pts
Poor
Contains many (≥ 5) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors that interfere with the reader’s understanding.
5 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWritten Expression and Formatting – The paper follows correct APA format for title page, headings, font, spacing, margins, indentations, page numbers, parenthetical/in-text citations, and reference list.
5 to >4.0 pts
Excellent
Uses correct APA format with no errors.
4 to >3.5 pts
Good
Contains a few (1 or 2) APA format errors.
3.5 to >3.0 pts
Fair
Contains several (3 or 4) APA format errors.
3 to >0 pts
Poor
Contains many (≥ 5) APA format errors.
5 pts
Total Points: 100

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Practice Focus Question

Developing evidence-based practice forms the basis for inventing sustainable solutions for the underlying issues. The healthcare industry experiences many problems that demand implementing the best procedures that enhance the quality and effectiveness of healthcare delivery approaches. The first approach begins with identifying a clinical trial or a problem gap. Professionals must commit resources to address these issues in the best approach using available resources. Research by Abu-Baker et al. (2021) suggests that developing a practice question provides adequate and accurate direction on what healthcare professionals and stakeholders need to apply or implement to obtain the desired success levels. The practice question of focus is the nursing shortage issue as one of the practice gaps that challenge the effectiveness of the healthcare industry in delivering services to diverse individuals and populations.

The Nature of the Nursing Shortage Issue

The clinical problem of focus for this clinical practice is to evaluate the nursing shortage issue in the healthcare industry. A report by the Institute of Medicine identified nursing professionals as critical stakeholders in the healthcare industry and assigned unique roles and responsibilities to nurses towards addressing the underlying health disparities (Flaubert et al., 2021). The report indicated a continuous need to develop the nursing profession, build professionals’ capacity to respond to the underlying conditions and ensure that all individuals, communities, and populations have access to the desired healthcare services and resources necessary for attaining the highest quality of life. However, nursing professionals are not adequate to meet the needs and preferences of individuals, expanding the burden of disease (Tamata & Mohammadnezhad, 2022). The issue affects different regions, healthcare organizations, and nations differently. It demands evaluating the most appropriate and effective solutions for addressing them and ensuring sustainable solutions are available.

Practice Question: Nursing Shortage

The practice question for this case promotes understanding of the issues in the context of the practice organization. It explores various techniques and approaches healthcare professionals can use to manage them. Twa (2016) argues that when designing a quality improvement project or an evidence-based practice program, it is necessary to identify the specific question and determine what is needed. The approach resolves the issue and defines mechanisms for evaluating the programs and ensuring optimal resources and opportunities. Therefore, the practice question seeks to determine the impact of the nursing shortage issue, develop significant evidence for addressing the problem, and ensure that healthcare outcomes and opportunities necessary for improvement are adequately utilized. The nursing shortage issue affects various departments and units within the organization. However, due to the patient needs, these units experience diverse effects and demand unit or department-specific solutions to attain the best healthcare goals. The question delves into the issue and seeks to understand how the issue affects different departments and approaches professionals can use to achieve the desirable outcomes (Tamata & Mohammadnezhad, 2022). Therefore, after understanding the intensity or severity of the issue in different departments, healthcare stakeholders can apply different mechanisms and staff allocation strategies that best match the staffing needs.

Nursing professionals also experience practice, physical, and personal issues associated with shortages and limited resources. Therefore, the question must seek to explore the experience of nursing professionals regarding their limited numbers. Nursing professionals need a supportive environment to deliver healthcare services safely, effectively, and timely. However, most studies that stakeholders and healthcare professionals have conducted concerning the issue often focus on assessing the effect of staff shortages on patient outcomes. However, patient outcomes result from the approaches nurses and other healthcare professionals use to identify and address the underlying issue.  Therefore, during the clinical experience and evidence-based practice, the project seeks to determine nurses’ experiences and develop profession-centered and organization-based approaches for addressing the problem and ensuring optimal healthcare resources and opportunities. Moreover, expert opinions form the most significant elements when developing evidence-based practices. However, most researchers have not incorporated these ideas and opinions in the best practice development and have minimized opportunities and mechanisms for addressing the underlying healthcare issues. Therefore, the clinical question on the nurses’ experience of their shortages and burnouts will allow the healthcare team to explore and manage the issue using ideas and inputs brought by nurses.

The other aspect of the practice question is to determine the efforts and strategies implemented by stakeholders in the organization to address the underlying nursing shortage issue. Although most organizations have initiated measures and approaches that address the problem, the developed solutions have not always addressed this practice issue. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate at the organizational level, identify key issues and gaps affecting the problem, and limit the stakeholder’s ability to manage the issue and enhance desirable outcomes. For instance, Udod (2023) asserts that nurse retention remains a significant factor in improving the consistency of healthcare resources and ensuring that professionals maintain the desired healthcare outcomes in US hospitals. However, due to the internal factors related to staffing issues, retention of experienced nurses remains challenging in most facilities. Therefore, the program will enable stakeholders to understand the structural factors limiting staff retention and contributing to staff shortages.

The growing health technology provides solutions to staffing issues by simplifying the healthcare work environment and coordination among healthcare professionals. However, despite the growing health technology within the healthcare industry, staffing remains a challenge. It complicates the ability of health information technology to manage the underlying issue and ensure that resources reach the desired healthcare outcomes. Thus, the practice experience will provide an opportunity to evaluate how health information technologies such as electronic health records, nursing informatics, and telehealth resources can address the shortage gap (Udod, 2023). Additionally, the practice question evaluates the needed changes or modifications for ensuring that the healthcare information technologies enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the health information technology and attain optimal results for patients and populations.

Conclusion

The nursing shortage is one of the significant issues within the healthcare industry that demands sustainable evidence-based mechanisms. However, designing this approach requires the healthcare team to evaluate the problem and develop the practice question, which guides the nursing professionals and other systems on the policies needed and the measures for determining the effectiveness of the interventions implemented. The critical components of the practice question include an evaluation of the impacts of the nursing shortage issue on patient care, the experiences of nurses and other healthcare professionals, and their opinions regarding the case, and determining the cause for the sustained problem regardless of the measures being implemented to address the issue. Moreover, the question guides the exploration of the technology as part of the problem and the solution and key approaches that healthcare professionals can use to ensure that innovative and cost-effective approaches apply in managing the practice issue.

 

 

References

Abu-Baker, N. N., AbuAlrub, S., Obeidat, R. F., & Assmairan, K. (2021). Evidence-based practice beliefs and implementations: A cross-sectional study among undergraduate nursing students. BMC Nursing, 20(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-020-00522-x

Flaubert, J. L., Menestrel, S. L., Williams, D. R., & Wakefield, M. K. (2021). The future of nursing 2020-2030: Charting a path to achieve health equity. In www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK573919/

Tamata, A. T., & Mohammadnezhad, M. (2022). A systematic review study on the factors affecting shortage of nursing workforce in the hospitals. Nursing Open, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.1434

Twa, M. D. (2016). Evidence-Based clinical practice: Asking focused questions (PICO). Optometry and Vision Science, 93(10), 1187–1188. https://doi.org/10.1097/opx.0000000000001006

Udod, S. (2023). A call for urgent action: Innovations for nurse retention in addressing the nursing shortage. Nursing Reports, 13(1), 145–147. https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep13010015