Assignment 1: Organizing HR Projects
Your company has had embedded HR generalists in business units for the past several years. Over that time, it has Assignment 1: Organizing HR Projects Your company has had embedded HR generalists in business units for the past several years. Over that time, it has become costlier, and more difficult to maintain standards, and is a frustration for business units to have that budget “hit.” The leadership has decided to move to a more centralized model of delivering HR services and has asked you to evaluate that proposition and begin establishing a project team to initiate the needed changes. The project team is selected and you must now provide general direction. Write a five to six (5-6) page paper in which you: Review and define the five (5) steps of strategic planning depicted in Exhibit 2-1 in the textbook on page 34. Based on the information, provide a statement of overall importance of these steps to your project team. Develop a vision and mission statement for the project team specific to the current project. HINT: It is highly recommended to follow the guidance offered in the textbook about vision and mission statement. Explain to the project team what a project charter is and why it is used. Then, review Exhibit 3.3 in the textbook and select any 3 charter elements you feel are more important and explain why. Provide a “Statement of Emphasis” to your project team based on the information you provided in the previous 3 sections above. The goal is to ensure your team understands the importance of the information. Go to https://research.strayer.edu to locate at least three (3) quality academic (peer-reviewed) resources in this assignment. Your assignment must: Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions. Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length. The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are: Explain the elements of project management and its relationship to human resource management. Assess organizational strategies that contribute to effective project management of human resources. Use technology and information resources to research issues in managing human resource projects. Write clearly and concisely about managing human resource projects using proper writing mechanics. Expert Answer and Explanation Strategic Planning For an organization to realize both their short and long-term goals, strategic planning is crucial. Strategic planning is defined as activities in an organization at a management level used to focus energy and resources to specific aspects of the organization. It ensures every stockholder realize and work towards a common goal with common knowledge of intended results.Thus, it allows for assessment and adjustment to the dynamics in the environment. In simple terms, strategic planning is defining a blueprint and deciding on the allocation of resources to achieve a specified goal. Plan helps to make clear the goals of an organization and the activities needed to implement the goals. Different schools of thought provide different steps to a proper strategic plan; the following are the steps, according to Timothy Kloppenborg. Steps of strategic planning Strategic analysis Strategic analysis entails identification and evaluation of relevant data; this includes analyzing both the external and the internal environments to establish its ability to influence performance. This is done by identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). Analysis of the external environment consists of seeking knowledge of threats and opportunities paused by competitors, suppliers, and other stakeholders beyond the control of the team. A critical examination of the environment to determine the position of power is vital in understanding the strongholds of the present competitive position of the organization and ways to maintain or enhance the situation. 2. Guiding principles These are concepts or ideas that give a framework on a specified way to pursue the strategic plan. This helps the organization to determine where to put more focus to achieve the desired outcome and also to keep the organization on the right track. Guiding principles are mainly embedded in the vision and the mission of an organization. Vision. It presents a ‘vivid description of a preferred future’ (Kloppenborg, 2014). Vision provides the workers with a clear focus, keeping in mind the pros and cons of an organization. On the other hand, it enhances a value standard of the organization which provides trust among stakeholders. An excellent example of a vision statement for a health institution maybe ‘A Healthy Home is a Wealthy Home.’ This paints a picture of their and others’ expectation of them. Mission statement. The mission statement is derived from the organization’s vision, and this entails the organization’s core purpose and values. It merely communicates the reason for the existence of the organization. Values represent the way the people in the organization will act how they treat each other and customers. It also involves the organization’s culture and belief, which allows the members to act in a required manner. 3. Strategic objectives These are small but fundamental and specific plans that sum up to make the organization mission upon implementation. They are measurable, realistic, and particular goals that translate to the purpose of an organization in the long run. Strategic objectives are the building blocks of a strategic plan. For example, the strategic objective of a website business may be to achieve 100,000 users in 3 months (Steiner, 2010). 4. Flow-down objectives In flow down objectives, involvement of all people is integral because the implementation is a continuous process. It involves the integration of existing ideas with new ones to provide a continuously improving system. For objectives to be practical, they should be clearly defined. 5. Portfolio alignment This is the process of evaluating a project to identify how it fits the organization, the benefits it brings, and the purpose
Describe the strategic planning process for an organization. Include legal and ethical considerations for each part of the strategic planning process.
Describe the strategic planning process for an organization. Include legal and ethical considerations for each part of the strategic planning process. Module 3: Assignment Remember to submit your work following the file naming convention FirstInitial.LastName_M01.docx. For example, J.Smith_M01.docx. Remember that it is not necessary to manually type in the file extension; it will automatically append. Start by reading and following these instructions: Quickly skim the questions or assignment below and the assignment rubric to help you focus. Read the required chapter(s) of the textbook and any additional recommended resources. Some answers may require you to do additional research on the Internet or in other reference sources. Choose your sources carefully. Consider the discussion and any insights you gained from it. Create your Assignment submission and be sure to cite your sources, use APA style as required, check your spelling. Assignment: Strategic Planning and Capital Budgets – Write a 2000-2500 word essay addressing each of the following points/questions. Support your ideas with at least three (3) scholarly citations in your essay. Use strict APA guidelines to format the paper. The cover page and reference page do not count towards the minimum word amount and an abstract and table of contents are not necessary and if included are not part of the overall word count. Describe the strategic planning process for an organization. Include legal and ethical considerations for each part of the strategic planning process. Expert Answer and Explanation Strategic Planning and Capital Budgets One of the most vital roles of a manager in an organization is strategic planning. Effective planning allows an organization to accomplish its objectives and well as help people function effectively as a team. Waxman (2012) noted that every organization, especially healthcare facilities should have a strategic plan. However, several organizations often operate without a clear and defined strategic plan. A study by James (2022) found that about 86% of organizational leaders step less than an hour per month discussing their businesses’ strategic plan. The study also found that 95% of workers do not even understand their organization’s strategic plan. Though many organizational leaders do not put the effort into developing strategic plans, having a strategy is beneficial to health business. Strategic plans make the organization more proactive by focusing on its future and preparing properly (Waxman, 2012). Strategic planning also improves operational efficiency and provides workers with a sense of direction. It also makes a business more durable and increases its profitability and market share. The purpose of this paper is to describe the strategic planning process for an organization and the ethical and legal considerations for each part of the strategic planning process. Strategic Planning Process The first step of a strategic plan process is determining the strategic position of the organization. This first step sets the foundation for all strategic planning processes. The organization needs to understand what they need and how it will achieve their needs to effectively develop a strategic plan (Abdel-Basset et al., 2018). For the first step to be effective, the organizational leader should involve all stakeholders including external and internal stakeholders. The manager should identify the key organizational issues by communicating with the organization’s top leadership, workers, and other stakeholders. The manager should also include customers’ insights in this case the patients and their families and collect market and industry data. The information will provide the manager with the position of his organization in the market and customers’ perspectives about the business. It is also vital to review or create the organization’s vision and mission statements to provide the leadership and company staff with a clear image of success for the business (James, 2022). Additionally, the core values of the company should also be reviewed to remind the manager about how the business plans to achieve the set objectives. In other words, the manager should use current/future demands, market and industry data, and customer insights to identify issues that should be addressed in the strategic plan. A SWOT analysis should also be conducted to identify the weaknesses, strengths, opportunities, and threats of the organization when determining its strategic position of the organization (Abdel-Basset et al., 2018). The second step is prioritizing the objectives of the organization. Once the strategic position of the organization has been determined and understood, the manager should now determine the objectives that will help the organization achieve the planned goals (Waxman, 2012). The objectives should align with the vision and mission of the organization. The objectives should be made with the help of the organization’s stakeholders. Important elements should be considered when developing the objectives (Buehring & Liedtka, 2018). The elements include the most urgent initiatives, the initiatives that will help the organization achieve its vision and mission and improve its position in the market, and the most significant impacts. The manager should also think of how competitors react, the goals that need to be achieved, and how to measure progress when developing and prioritizing objectives. The prioritized objectives should be clear, measurable, and distinct to help the manager reach the long-term initiatives and strategic goals outlined in the first step. The manager should then communicate the objectives with the stakeholders through its website, social media accounts, and other communication channels. The third step is developing a plan to implement the determined strategic position. After developing and prioritizing the objectives, an implementation plan should be developed. In this step, the manager should determine the tactics needed to attain the organization’s objectives. The manager should then design a timeline for attaining the objectives and communicate the responsibilities clearly to the team responsible for implementation (Waxman, 2012). The manager can visualize the entire plan using a strategy mapping tool. The manager can also identify the gaps for improvement and view the business process from the top-down strategy maps. Opportunity costs should be considered when developing the plan. initiatives that would not enhance the long-term strategic position of the company should be discarded. In this stage, the manager set goals by changing strategic objectives into specific performance issues
Provide a budget from a healthcare organization and describe and define each entry in the budget.
Provide a budget from a healthcare organization and describe and define each entry in the budget. Module 4: Assignment Remember to submit your work following the file naming convention FirstInitial.LastName_M01.docx. For example, J.Smith_M01.docx. Remember that it is not necessary to manually type in the file extension; it will automatically append. Start by reading and following these instructions: Quickly skim the questions or assignment below and the assignment rubric to help you focus. Read the required chapter(s) of the textbook and any additional recommended resources. Some answers may require you to do additional research on the Internet or in other reference sources. Choose your sources carefully. Consider the discussion and the any insights you gained from it. Create your Assignment submission and be sure to cite your sources, use APA style as required, check your spelling. Assignment: Budgeting in Healthcare. Write a 2000-2500 word essay addressing each of the following points/questions. Support your ideas with at least three (3) scholarly citations in your essay. Use strict APA guidelines to format the paper. The cover page and reference page do not count towards the minimum word amount and an abstract and table of contents are not necessary and if included are not part of the overall word count. Provide a budget from a healthcare organization and describe and define each entry in the budget. Expert Answer and Explanation Budgeting in Healthcare Like any other business, healthcare organizations need a budget. A hospital or healthcare budget is an estimation of expenses and revenue over a specific time. Healthcare organizations or hospitals can understand the level of funding needed in certain areas, including capital equipment and operation costs (Kuzmenko et al., 2021). Two main types of budgets can be developed in a healthcare organization or hospital. they include capital and operational budgets. The operational budget is used to plan for operational and personnel costs while the capital budget is used to plan for the purchase of hospital equipment (Waxman, 2012). The budgeting process is so essential to hospitals and healthcare organizations. Healthcare is changing rapidly and thus healthcare leaders must continuously adapt as new patient needs and technologies emerge (Kuzmenko et al., 2021). A strong budgeting process in healthcare allows hospital leaders to establish priorities around clinical departments and care and plan for the future. A healthcare budget helps in understanding the amount of money spent and how to allocate funds to various projects and departments within a healthcare facility (Waxman, 2012). Proper budgeting enables healthcare organizations to efficiently and effectively provide patient-centred care (Waxman, 2012). In this paper, budget projections actual through budget 2021 by Metropolitan Nashville General Hospital have been provided and each entry of the budget is defined and described. Components of a Budget A basic budget has four main components. The first component is estimated revenue. Estimated review is the money the business is expected to make in the coming financial year from its sales. Estimated revenue has two main components including the estimated cost of services rendered or goods sold and sales forecast (Shakeri et al., 2021). The second component of a budget is expenses. Expenses show how the organization is expected to use its funds in the next financial year. Expenses can be grouped into fixed, discretionary, and flexible expenses. When making a budget, the nurse leader should pinpoint exactly how the money will be used. Expenses are used to track the finances and ensure that the management was responsible for the allocated funds. Expenses also dictate the number of funds the management will request for a specific financial period. The third component is sources of funds. This section shows the sources of the hospital’s funds (Waxman, 2012). The fourth component of a budget is income. The income section shows the money the company is projected to make after the budget has been executed. This part is developed by subtracting expenses from projected revenues. Entries in the Metropolitan Nashville General Hospital Budget The Metropolitan Nashville General Hospital budget is included in the appendix. The budget was developed based on the three basic components of a budget. The first part of the budget is estimated revenue. This part approximates what the hospital will get from its services (Waxman, 2012). In this part, the budget has described the estimated patient admissions, observational visits, patient days, average length of stay, FTE’s Hospital Only, and FTE’s Per Equiv. ADC. The budget shows that Metropolitan Nashville General Hospital received a total of $214,798,164 from patient charges (inpatient $66,618,962 and outpatient $ 148,179,202. The budget projected that the hospital will make $236,577,917 in 2020 and $271,801,053 in 2021. The variance between the budgeted patient charges in the 2021 financial year and the actual budget in the 2020 financial year is $35,223,136 meaning that the hospital estimates that patient charges will increase in the 2021 financial year. In the first part, the budget also shows the estimation of money that will be deducted from revenue. This part shows that adjustments are projected to impact the estimated revenue for the budgeted year. Elements listed in this section include bad debt adjustments, contractual adjustments, uninsured discounts, administration adjustments, charity adjustments, and other adjustments. The funds allocated in this section will cover any unforeseen changes. For instance, bad debt can occur if the patient fails to pay medical bills as agreed. Charity adjustments can be needed if the charity organization fails to fulfil its promises about contributing funds to the organization. The administration might also need to adjust by hiring more people or introducing training after the budget has been prepared and approved. Nashville General Hospital’s budget has considered these changes by including them in the adjustment section. The budget estimated that deduction from revenue in 2021 would be $223,937,407, $192,796,906 in 2020, and $ 173,045,736 in 2019. The variable between the deductions from revenue in the 2020 projected budget and the 2021 budget was $31,140,501 meaning that the deductions were expected to increase. The budget summarizes the estimated revenue after removing deductions from revenue that will be received by
Upon completing the MACP program and receiving registration with CCPA six months ago, Emily Blackman as a new counsellor
Upon completing the MACP program and receiving registration with CCPA six months ago, Emily Blackman 3.1. Obtaining Informed Consent Informed consent refers to the process through which a counsellor ensures that the client is aware of the potential risks and benefits associated with therapy, assessment, research, and/or other activities in which they may engage. Informed consent means that the client voluntarily agrees to the counselling process, has a right to understand its implications, and has a free choice about participating. Obtaining informed consent is a cornerstone of conducting ethical therapy, research, and assessment, and is required by ethical codes. Review what the codes of ethics have to say about this topic and incorporate this into your discussions: Some may say that informed consent is really about protecting the professional from liability rather than respecting the client’s dignity and freedom. What are the strengths and weaknesses of this argument? What should the client know and understand to make a decision that is indeed informed? 3.2. Protecting Confidentiality Confidentiality is the keystone of effective counselling and psychotherapy because it allows the client to freely share experiences without fear of unwarranted disclosure to others. Confidentiality refers to the ethical principle that compels psychologists to hold secret all information about a client and to keep private any information revealed by a client in confidence unless the client consents to the disclosure of the information to a third party or the law authorize the release of information without the client’s consent. Review what the codes of ethics have to say about this topic and incorporate this into your discussions: Discuss some ways in which you can prepare clients for issues pertaining to confidentiality. What could you do to educate clients about the purposes of confidentiality and the legal restrictions on it? Examine how you would do this in various situations, such as assessment, school counselling, group work, couples and family counselling, and counselling with minors. During the counselling session, Paul mentions that he is sexually active, that he sometimes engages in sexual activity that could put his partner at risk, and that he has withheld from his partner that he is HIV positive. Does Paul’s behaviour constitute a threat worthy of a warning to the potential victim? As a counsellor, if you break confidentiality to warn a potential victim, what effect will that have on the therapeutic alliance with Paul and, ultimately, on Paul’s well-being? To whom you have a primary obligation—Paul or someone whom Paul might endanger? Case Analysis II Instructions Consider the following case for analysis: Upon completing the MACP program and receiving registration with CCPA six months ago, Emily Blackman as a new counsellor decided to add telephone counselling to the services she provides to clients. One of her clients, Karen White, a 50-year-old woman who struggles with emotional and physical isolation, has a very soft voice, and Blackman has difficulty hearing her accurately even after turning up the phone’s volume. Blackman tried diplomatically to ask her client to speak louder but to no avail. Frustrated, Blackman decides to put Karen’s calls on speaker, increasing the volume to its maximum capacity. Blackman reasons that although Karen’s voice can now be heard in Blackman’s reception area, clients’ chances of hearing the conversation can be minimal because she is usually finished with Karen’s session before clients physically arrive for appointments. For this reason, Blackman decides that she does not have to inform Karen that her voice is on speaker. To do so, she believes it would be intimidating and counter therapeutic. Answer the following questions: Discuss Emily’s decision not to inform Karen that the speaker volume is on while she talks. What are the justifications for this, if any? What are the ethical and legal ramifications of this behaviour? Discuss the suitability of using the telephone counselling or other forms of technology in counselling practice for the types of issues with which Emily is presenting. In the assignment, you must integrate the reference to ethical principles, standards of practice, relevant practice guidelines and legislation specific to the province or territory in which you intend to practice. You may use outside research, but not to replace the material from the course. All work must be cited according to APA format, current edition. Culture/Diversity and Legal/Ethical issues must be included when relevant. Do not type the case analysis into your assignment. Specific requirements for formatting your Assignments #2: The paper should be 4-5 pages, double-spaced (excluding the cover page, and the reference list), format your paper in Word (doc or docx only) and use APA style guidelines, current edition. You can write in the first person. Use the questions as headings in the assignment. When you save your assignments on your computer, you should “save as” using the following formula: First Name Last Name -Course Number-Assignment Number (JohnDoe-PSYC6203-1). All written assignments should have a cover page (including the title of the assignment, your name, the name of the course, and the date of submission) and be double-spaced throughout (without leaving an extra-space between paragraphs or references; make sure that the “Before” and “After” values for Paragraphs are 0 = zero). This program uses 7th edition APA style. This is a guide for all professional communication. At the same time, please know that we have program expectations for assignments. These expectations include: 12pt text size, Times New Roman font and no running head. The reference list should only include sources that were used for in-text citations in the paper itself. No abstract, introduction or conclusion sections are needed for the assignment. Please include references. Focus on using peer-reviewed journal articles to support the arguments The project will be evaluated with respect to organization, clarity, and thoroughness of presentation, and justification of evaluation criteria. Reminder: As a graduate-level course, student work should be based on critical thinking, not merely on summarizing or paraphrasing material. Evaluation The following rubric indicates those areas you should be focusing on in preparing your assignment, and how the professor will weigh these components relative to one another. Criteria
Reflect upon a patient care encounter from personal practice in which principles from Barbara Carper’s theory of “Ways of Knowing” were used.
Reflect upon a patient care encounter from personal practice in which principles from Module 1: Assignment Remember to submit your work following the file naming convention FirstInitial.LastName_M01.docx. For example, J.Smith_M01.docx. Remember that it is not necessary to manually type in the file extension; it will automatically append. Start by reading and following these instructions: 1. Quickly skim the questions or assignment below and the assignment rubric to help you focus. 2. Read the required chapter(s) of the textbook and any additional recommended resources. Some answers may require you to do additional research on the Internet or in other reference sources. Choose your sources carefully. 3. Consider the course discussions so far and any insights gained from it. 4. Create your Assignment submission and be sure to cite your sources if needed, use APA style as required, and check your spelling. Assignment: Reflect upon a patient care encounter from personal practice in which principles from Barbara Carper’s theory of “Ways of Knowing” were used. Illustrate how each fundamental pattern for nursing knowledge contributed to the care of this patient. Select a particular area of nursing that is of interest to you. Elaborate on the specifics of nursing research in relation to this area— what can be accomplished by it, and why you believe it to be valuable. Include an explanation of the following questions in your response. What role does nursing research play in the development of applied medicine? What are the best methods for conducting such research? Include specific topics you will cover, and how this relates to your literature review. How do you know whether a topic qualifies as research worthy? What criteria make a topic acceptable for research? The assignment should be between 1500 and 2000 words in length and contain at least two scholarly sources, in addition to the textbook and provided material. Please submit your assignment in one APA formatted document. Expert Answer and Explanation Research Process and Application in Pediatrics Nursing, as a professional, relies on knowledge and the development of this knowledge is critical to the advancement of the health care objectives. In the context of the nursing profession, meeting patients’ needs is a universal priority, and theories often guide the decisions nurses make in order to meet the expectations of the various stakeholders in the healthcare sector. The contemporary health care delivery models are increasingly adopting findings from the empirical studies as the standard for guiding clinical decisions. This is emerging as a standard practice in the pediatrics where nurses work with younger patients. Theories, combined with the empirical reviews, provide the frameworks for the development of the evidence which pediatricians adopt for the purpose of applying in their practice. Research and theories, are however, useful in the development of the applied medicine (Smith & Parker, 2015). The role of this study is to explore the importance and applicability of nursing knowledge and research with focus on Barbara Carper’s theory of Ways of Knowing. Reflection upon a Patient Care Encounter Reflecting on the past clinical experience, I had an encounter with a patient who cried and complained of pain on the ankle, and I responded to the need of this patient by administering lidocaine. As a caregiver, I see myself as a custodian of the patient, and this formed the basis for my decision to respond as I did. By undertaking this decision, the patient’s pain subsided, and they did not cry for the rest of the period they were in the hospital. This brought calm to the patients and relieved the stress in the patient’s family members. I experience a sense of personal satisfaction, and I felt that my decision to act in a way that I did reflects how nurses impact the lives of the patients. As a person driven by belief to do the greater good, I had to consider injecting the patient with anesthetic medication to reduce the patient’s pain, even though I knew that the injection causes pain itself (Alligood, 2014). Based on what I have learned from various studies, injection with anesthetic medication can reduce pain, and this guided my decision. Specifics of the Nursing Research in Relations to Pediatric Nursing Nurses specializing in pediatrics can find the nursing research crucial in helping advance the clinical objectives in this area of their practice. Pediatric patients present in hospitals with a wide spectrum of medical needs, and this warrants the need for the caregivers to perform the correct assessment and administer evidence-guided interventions. Some of the patients who seek for services in this area have limited understanding of the health knowledge, and the provider cannot rely on these patients to make sound clinical decisions. The nursing research compensates for this challenge by making it possible for caregivers to apply what has worked elsewhere into the intervention regiment, and this improves the possibility of gaining favorable intervention outcomes (Alligood, 2014). Indeed, nursing research may give details about certain clinical conditions which affect patients during specific age, and this knowledge can form the basis for performing certain diagnostic procedures to determine the presence of the disease. Role of the Nursing Research in the Development of Applied Medicine Nursing knowledge is becoming increasingly important in applied medicine, and nursing professionals utilize the existing source of knowledge to explore the intervention options which they can apply in the delivery of care to improve treatment outcomes. These professionals, at various levels of their practice, become aware of the procedures involved in retrieving, reading, critiquing and applying the current studies. With this knowledge, nurses can identify issues with the current studies, and correct these mistakes, and ultimately define the new approaches for addressing the disease incidences, either at individual or community level. The healthcare environment is dynamic, and this is because of the increased emphasis on the improvement of the quality. Essentially, nurses can use this research for the purpose of responding to these changes so that they meet the changing expectations. For nurses, understanding of the current approaches to addressing clinical issues can be
Post a brief description of general healthcare technology trends, particularly related to data/information you have observed in use in your healthcare
Post a brief description of general healthcare technology trends, particularly related to data/information you have Discussion: Healthcare Information Technology Trends Throughout history, technological advancements have appeared for one purpose before finding applications elsewhere that lead to spikes in its usage and development. The internet, for example, was originally developed to share research before becoming a staple of work and entertainment. But technology—new and repurposed—will undoubtedly continue to be a driver of healthcare information. Informaticists often stay tuned to trends to monitor what the next new technology will be or how the next new idea for applying existing technology can benefit outcomes. In this Discussion, you will reflect on your healthcare organization’s use of technology and offer a technology trend you observe in your environment. To Prepare: Reflect on the Resources related to digital information tools and technologies. Consider your healthcare organization’s use of healthcare technologies to manage and distribute information. Reflect on current and potential future trends, such as use of social media and mobile applications/telehealth, Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled asset tracking, or expert systems/artificial intelligence, and how they may impact nursing practice and healthcare delivery. By Day 3 of Week 6 Post a brief description of general healthcare technology trends, particularly related to data/information you have observed in use in your healthcare organization or nursing practice. Describe any potential challenges or risks that may be inherent in the technologies associated with these trends you described. Then, describe at least one potential benefit and one potential risk associated with data safety, legislation, and patient care for the technologies you described. Next, explain which healthcare technology trends you believe are most promising for impacting healthcare technology in nursing practice and explain why. Describe whether this promise will contribute to improvements in patient care outcomes, efficiencies, or data management. Be specific and provide examples. Expert Answer and Explanation Trends in Informatics Technology The healthcare technology is revolutionizing the delivery of health services by providing providers with the necessary tools that support the delivery of care. With the emerging trends in use of informatics technology, patients are benefitting from access to optimal care. General Healthcare Technology Trends The evolution of the healthcare technology is seen in various trends including the use of the mobile health apps, and telhealth technology to optimize care access and delivery. The technologies powered by the Internet of Things (IoTs) like wearable devices are easing and enhancing the delivery of preventive care by providing real-time data that inform clinical intervention decisions. Providers are equally leveraging the Electronic Health Records (EHRs) to capture and access patients’ data, and share this data with other members of the interprofessional team (Zhang & Saltman, 2022). Out of the general healthcare trends I have observed, telhealth and EHRs are the predominant technologies in my healthcare organization. As a tool, the EHR system allows providers to store and retrieve patients’ data, and share it with colleagues. Conversely, the telhealth system, which may involve the use of virtual communication platform, facilitates provider-patient interaction, allowing patients to remotely access health services. The Concerns or Challenges tied to the Technologies Associated with the Trends While the use of the identified technological trends translates to the improvement in decision-making outcomes in clinical settings, they present serious concerns. The adoption and usability of the EHRs and telhealth is particularly a challenge in organizations because some users resist their use based on factors like lack of usage skills, and challenging interfaces. If users experience difficulty when attempting to use the technologies, they may resist its adoption and use in the healthcare setting. Some organizations grapple with cumbersome legislative compliance requirements which require that they adhere to the existing policies related to access control. For instance, the HIPAA policy requires organizations to adopt stringent security measures to safeguard patients’ health data (Wiley et al., 2022). Even with the implementation of the data safety policies, the risk of data breach is still high considering that hackers can take advantage of security vulnerabilities to hack into the organization’s IT infrastructure. Benefit and Risk Associated with Data Safety, Legislation and Patient Care Data safety and legislation in the context of patient care translate to the improvement in patient care outcomes. The use of the telehealth and EHRs in particular, improves coordination of care through real-time access to data, optimizing the clinical intervention outcomes. Telhealth supports the implementation of the post-discharge interventions, allowing providers to monitor patients, and to educate patients during their healing journey. A data breach incident in which data is altered can jeopardize the patient’s safety by causing poor health outcomes (Lim & Adler-Milstein, 2022). The Most Promising Healthcare Technology Trends The use of the telhealth is the most promising trend in terms of the utilization of the healthcare technologies to optimize health outcomes (Apathy et al., 2024). This trend will be instrumental in helping providers to reach an extended number of individuals in underserved communities. It will particularly reduce the burden associated with travelling to the healthcare facility. The Possibility of the Promise Contributing to Improvement in Patient Care Outcomes With the adoption of the telhealth, providers will be able to identify potential health issues and avert these issues before they turn into major complications. As providers turn to providing health services virtually, they will have more time to care for patents, resulting to better utilization of resources. Telhealth combined with EHR system will automate data collection, ensuring that providers have access to records of each patient. Conclusion In conclusion, the EHRs and telhealth are some of the technologies that providers are utilizing to provide patients with high-end care. Despite the privacy and safety concerns, these technologies are contributing to enhancing decision-making. References Apathy, N. C., Zabala, G., Gomes, K., Spaar, P., Krevat, S. A., & Ratwani, R. M. (2024). Telemedicine and In-Person Visit Modality Mix and Electronic Health Record Use in Primary Care. JAMA network open, 7(4), e248060. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.8060. Lim, J., & Adler-Milstein, J. (2022). 531 Telehealth, associated changes in EHR use patterns, and implications for physician burnout in the ambulatory care setting. Journal of
In this assignment you will propose a quality improvement initiative from your place of employment
In this assignment you will propose a quality improvement initiative from your place of employment that could In this assignment you will propose a quality improvement initiative from your place of employment that could easily be implemented if approved. Assume you are presenting this program to the board for approval of funding. Write an executive summary (750-1,000 words) to present to the board, from which the board will make its decision to fund your program or project. Include the following: The purpose of the quality improvement initiative. The target population or audience. The benefits of the quality improvement initiative. The interprofessional collaboration that would be required to implement the quality improvement initiative. The cost or budget justification. The basis upon which the quality improvement initiative will be evaluated. Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required. This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion. You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance Expert Answer and Explanation Quality Improvement Initiative A quality improvement initiative focuses on monitoring, analyzing, and improving the quality practices to improve healthcare outcomes in the healthcare organization. Beran et al. (2018) said that hospitals could gather and examine data in critical areas to effectively select a project that can meet their quality requirements. Therefore, this paper proposes a pharmacist-provided Medication Therapy Management (MTM) program to an organization’s board of directors for funding. Purpose of the quality improvement initiative The primary purpose of pharmacist-provided Medication Therapy Management (MTM) project is to improve patients’ outcomes and reduce healthcare costs (Beran et al., 2018). The target population or audience The pharmacist-provided or led MTM project will target the Medicare population. The population constitutes of individuals ages 65 and above, irrespective of their income, health status, medical history, and people with long-term disability (Beran et al., 2018). These persons use a lot of medicines because of their chronic conditions, including depression, heart diseases, influenza, respiratory infections, and diabetes. The benefits of the quality improvement initiative The two essential advantages of the MTM project include empowering of patients and provide service value. Empowering of patients Pharmacist-provided Medication Therapy Management (MTM) encourages patients to participate in their healthcare actively. This is an approach of empowering patients to be responsible and be knowledgeable about their medication use and health (Henderson, Brooks, Richey & Thompson, 2019). MTM services enable an active partnership among pharmacists, patients, physicians, and other healthcare professionals or providers for the attainment of optimum medication treatment outcomes. Henderson, Brooks, Richey, and Thompson (2019) concluded that various patients have attested that pharmacist-provided MTM services have a positive impact on their care in most states in the United States. Provision of services value Pharmacist-led Medication Therapy Management (MTM) services contribute to patients’ safety, appropriateness care, and effective use of drugs. These are the three ways in which this initiative will provide service value to patients. The methods are highlighted below. One, MTM project improves the quality of patient outcomes and care. For example, MTM services usually save lives at risk. Two, the MTM program reduces healthcare spending. Spivey et al., 2019 explained that MTM services have the potential of lowering medical expenditure linked with physician visits or emergency care visits or hospitalizations. Three, MTM project also reduce medication-associated adverse events by improving patient safety (Spivey et al., 2019). Moreover, there are various pieces of evidence indicating that improved healthcare outcomes and better management of healthcare spending result from pharmacist-provided MTM services in both the private and public health sector. For example, the Iowa Medicaid Pharmaceutical Case Management (PCM) Program. This is an MTM project that was established in 2000 to target high risks patients who use more than four medicines. The program has improved prescribing of appropriate drugs and a significant reduction in the utilization of high-risk medications. Another example, The Diabetes Ten City Challenge. This is an MTM health benefit project instituted by groups of employers in ten communities. The initiative has resulted in savings of about $918 per worker in total healthcare expenses for the past years and a 50% reduction in employees’ absenteeism (Spivey et al., 2019). Therefore, the value of pharmacist-provided Medication Therapy Management in clinical, humanistic, and economical is real as its results are outstanding and replicable. The interpersonal collaboration required for the implementation of the quality improvement initiative Enhancement of patient-centered medical care and patient outcomes, a comprehensive team-based will be necessary for the implementation of this project. In MTM project implementation, pharmacists will be prerequisite to boost medicines use that can help to improve patient outcomes. According to the American College of Clinical Pharmacy et al. (2015), for organizations to deliver pharmacist-provided Medical Therapy Management, pharmacists are required to work together with doctors or physicians effectively. Physicians are also required to collaborate with nurses. Nurses are needed to work in partnership with patients (American College of Clinical Pharmacy et al., 2015). The three collaborations are vital for the implementation of pharmacist-led MTM. The cost or budget justification The table below presents different costs needed for the implementation of pharmacist-provided Medication Therapy Management (MTM) program at the organization. Cost category Cost in USD in million % of total Type of cost (USD) Personnel 19. 21 41.32 Variable Material and Supplies 9.25 19.90 Variable Equipment 7.45 16.02 Fixed Non-salary direct 10.1 21.72 Fixed Overhead 0.48 1.03 Fixed Total 46. 49 100% Source (Author, 2019). From the table above it can be deduced that the project requires a total of US$46.49 million. Variable costs in this program are will be caused by the changing cause quality and quantity of the service that the health organization will deliver (Berry, Eizenberg & Waldfogel, 2016). Fixed costs are also expenditures that dependent on the level of services that the organization will offer to its clients. The basis upon which the quality improvement initiative will be
Program/policy evaluation is a valuable tool that can help strengthen the quality of programs/policies and improve outcomes
Program/policy evaluation is a valuable tool that can help strengthen the quality of programs/policies and improve Assessing a Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation Program/policy evaluation is a valuable tool that can help strengthen the quality of programs/policies and improve outcomes for the populations they serve. Program/policy evaluation answers basic questions about program/policy effectiveness. It involves collecting and analyzing information about program/policy activities, characteristics, and outcomes. This information can be used to ultimately improve program services or policy initiatives. Nurses can play a very important role assessing program/policy evaluation for the same reasons that they can be so important to program/policy design. Nurses bring expertise and patient advocacy that can add significant insight and impact. In this Assignment, you will practice applying this expertise and insight by selecting an existing healthcare program or policy evaluation and reflecting on the criteria used to measure the effectiveness of the program/policy. To Prepare: Review the Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation Analysis Template provided in the Resources. Select an existing healthcare program or policy evaluation or choose one of interest to you and get approval to use it from your Instructor. Review the healthcare program or policy evaluation and reflect on the criteria used to measure the effectiveness of the program or policy described. The Assignment: (2–3 pages) Based on the program or policy evaluation you selected, complete the Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation Analysis Template. Be sure to address the following: Describe the healthcare program or policy outcomes. How was the success of the program or policy measured? How many people were reached by the program or policy selected? How much of an impact was realized with the program or policy selected? At what point in program implementation was the program or policy evaluation conducted? What data was used to conduct the program or policy evaluation? What specific information on unintended consequences was identified? What stakeholders were identified in the evaluation of the program or policy? Who would benefit most from the results and reporting of the program or policy evaluation? Be specific and provide examples. Did the program or policy meet the original intent and objectives? Why or why not? Would you recommend implementing this program or policy in your place of work? Why or why not? Identify at least two ways that you, as a nurse advocate, could become involved in evaluating a program or policy after 1 year of implementation. Expert Answer and Explanation Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation Analysis Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation The Newborns’ and Mothers’ Health protection Act (NMHPA). Description According to the policy, maternity coverage plans should include a mandatory pay of maternity fee for a 48-hour period from the time the child is born. How was the success of the program or policy measured? To determine the success of the program, the data pertaining to the number of women who received maternal services covered under the insurance plans, during the 48-hours following birth, was collected from hospitals, and clinical facilities. By reviewing the data on the number of the new mothers who benefitted from the program, the team responsible for policy evaluation managed to come up with data which showed the success of the policy. This data purely constitutes the information which the evaluation team acquired from the hospitals which did accept the plan-based payments (Cms.gov, 2020). How many people were reached by the program or policy selected? How much of an impact was realized with the program or policy selected? The selected policy had an impact on a more than 50 million American women. This group consisted of the new mothers, aged 18 and 48 years who paid through insurance plans. Since the enactment of the act in 1995, it has had positive impact in terms of improving the health or the mothers and newborns, and helping reduce the number of cases of adverse clinical events. It has led to the reduction of the rates of re-hospitalization among new mothers. It has equally helped empower mothers because the 48-hours these mothers spend in the hospital include a time for educating them about baby care. Consequently, the law has helped improve the wellbeing of the newborn babies (Cms.gov, 2020). What data was used to conduct the program or policy evaluation? The data used to evaluate the success of the program constituted the responses which the beneficiaries of the new laws provided. These beneficiaries consisted of mothers who had benefitted from the insurance scheme in which they received insurance coverage for a 48-hour maternal care following birth. By directly getting information from this population, it was possible to get to know their experience, and outcomes associated with the NHMPA (Cms.gov, 2020). The providers were also interviewed about the effectiveness of the law, and they admitted that the law was effective in terms of helping meet the required objectives. What specific information on unintended consequences were identified? The information on unintended consequences identified included the occupation accidents which result to the pregnancy-based complications leading to death. Deaths as a result of the use of non-safe abortion (Mumtaz, Bahk, Khang, 2019). The use of substances such as alcohol which cause a pregnant mother to miscarry and abort. The details pertaining to the unintended consequences identified included the miscarriages, and the death of the newborns within the 48-hour period after birth. The death of the mother was also part of this information. What stakeholders were identified in the evaluation of the program or policy? Who would benefit most from the results and reporting of the program or policy evaluation? Be specific and provide examples. Various stakeholders groups were identified during the assessment of the policy. These groups consisted of the nurses and physicians working with mothers, and working in maternal units. Women who previously gave birth were also identified for evaluation. The beneficiaries of the results would be pregnant women with insurance plans who are about to give birth. Another group is infants, and they will benefit by receiving the necessary care which can help improve their health. Did the program or policy meet the original intent and
Identify a clinical question related to your area of clinical practice and write the clinical foreground question in PICOT format utilizing the worksheet tool
Identify a clinical question related to your area of clinical practice and write the clinical foreground question in Write a 1000-1500 word essay addressing each of the following points/questions. Be sure to completely answer all the questions for each bullet point. There should be three main sections, one for each bullet below. Separate each section in your paper with a clear heading that allows your professor to know which bullet you are addressing in that section of your paper. Support your ideas with at least five (5) sources using citations in your essay. Make sure to cite using the APA writing style for the essay. The cover page and reference page in correct APA do not count towards the minimum word amount. Review the rubric criteria for this assignment. Identify a clinical question related to your work environment, write the question in PICOT format and perform a literature search on the identified topic. Purpose To enable the student to identify a clinical question related to a specified area of practice and use medical and nursing databases to find research articles that will provide evidence to validate nursing interventions regarding a specific area of nursing practice. Review the Application Case Study for Chapter 3: Finding Relevant Evidence to Answer Clinical Questions as a guide for your literature search. Guidelines Identify a clinical question related to your area of clinical practice and write the clinical foreground question in PICOT format utilizing the worksheet tool provided as a guide. Describe why this is a clinical problem or an opportunity for improving health outcomes in your area of clinical practice. Perform a literature search and select five research articles on your topic utilizing the databases highlighted in Chapter 3 of the textbook (Melnyk and Finout-Overholt, 2015). Identify the article that best supports nursing interventions for your topic. Explain why this article best supports your topic as you compare the article to the other four found in the literature search. Expert Answer and Explanation Nursing Research In the United States (U.S.), hospitals embrace evidence-based practice (EBP) to ease decision-making and develop the protocol for care delivery. Research is the hallmark of EBP because it produces findings that clinicians rely on to make clinical decisions. For a nurse, taking part in an EBP program begins with recognizing the domain of the clinical question. To establish the question, the nurse follows specific procedures, including identifying the patient issue, intervention, and duration of treatment. A background and a foreground question are the major types of clinical questions, and the two differ in the sense that the former is general while the latter is specific. To generate a particular question, a nurse uses the PICOT framework. It is crucial to examine how this framework can help with research that compares asthma treatment using salbutamol and salmeterol. The reason why the issue is considered a Clinical Problem or an Opportunity for Improvement The most effective asthma treatment is a clinical problem for several reasons. Asthma may lead to the patient’s hospitalization, mainly if a patient receives an ineffective intervention. Ineffective therapy, in this case, means administering a different medication other than the required treatment. Hospitalization and increased length of hospital stay can lead to the accumulation of costs of treatment or even cause the use of more medical resources (Nwaru et al., 2020). Being hospitalized for a long exposes a person to various nosocomial infections, including Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs). The issue is also a clinical problem because it may adversely affect the quality of the patient’s life. Asthma limits the activities that one can perform because it hinders a patient to the level where they cannot work or enjoy certain hobbies. Therefore, the treatment that is effective between salbutamol and salmeterol needs a suitable response to help prevent adverse asthma complications. Literature Search The literature search strategy used involves using various terminologies to identify sources from Google database and Cochrane. The keywords used are highlighted in table 1.0. Layout of the Relevant Terminologies Table 1.0 Concepts Keywords Google Terms Cochrane Terms Population Adults with asthma Adult, middle-aged, women Middle-aged, 40-50 years. Middle aged adults: adults living with asthma Intervention Salbutamol, a short-acting asthma medication. Salbutamol (Albuterol); short-acting Asthmatic patients. Short-acting asthma medication. Comparison Salmeterol, a long-acting medication Short-acting: salmeterol (fluticasone) Prevention of asthma symptoms. Long-acting asthma treatment. Outcomes Affect asthma symptoms Quick relief; Reduced emergency room visits; Improvement in lung functioning; Reduce frequency of asthma attacks; Quick relief for asthma Prevention of asthma attacks; improved respiratory outcomes. The articles were sourced from Google and Cochrane with each database yielding different number of articles. Search History Set # Query Limiters/Expanders Results (Google) Results (for Cochrane) S1 (Keyword that represents population) Middle-aged Boolean/Phrase 17,000 12,000 S2 Women with asthma Boolean/Phrase 6,000 4,000 S3 (Combine to represent population) (S1 and S2) Boolean/Phrase 276 202 S4 (Limiting to English) (S1 and S2) Boolean/Phrase 56 43 S5 (use keyword to represent intervention). Salbutamol Boolean/Phrase 8,900 5600 S6 (use keyword to represent intervention) Salmeterol Boolean/Phrase 7,200 320 S7 (Combine the keywords for the intervention and population ) S1 and S2 and S5 Boolean/Phrase 120 23 The Article that best supports Nursing Interventions for the chosen Topic The search for the literature yielded five main articles, with one of these articles being more relevant than the other four. The article that seems to answer the question is the article authored by Baggot and colleagues (2020). According to these authors, overreliance on the Short-Acting Beta Agonists (SABAs) is associated with severe health events, including the risk of experiencing frequent attacks. What, however, makes the article more relevant to the question is that it provides the survey results of the views of a majority of adult woman subjects concerning the various treatments for asthma. Therefore, it meets most of the criteria defined in the PICOT question. The study revealed that most of the participants preferred interventions that would get rid of their asthma instead of the SABAs they are used to. Comparing the Article to the Other Four found
Cultural theorist Campinha-Bacote describes cultural competency as a continuum
Cultural theorist Campinha-Bacote describes cultural competency as a continuum, which Cultural theorist Campinha-Bacote describes cultural competency as a continuum, which implies continual growth and development (Kersey-Matusiak, 2019). Discuss the following: • What is cultural competence? • Are there steps nurses can take to achieve it? • How does it differ from cultural humility? • Briefly describe how a lack of cultural sensitivity may impact patients’ health and well-being and their future encounters with the healthcare system. • Why is it more important to focus on cultural humility rather than achieving cultural competence? Expert Answer and Explanation In the healthcare sector, cultural competence focuses on the ability of a nurse or any other medical professional to be aware of their cultural beliefs and values. Additionally, cultural competence also includes the awareness of how personal culture and perspectives are different from that of others (Kersey-Matusiak, 2018). In the case of a nurse, cultural competence focuses on the ability to differentiate one’s cultural beliefs from that of the patient. Nurses can take different initiatives and steps to achieve cultural competence. The most efficient strategy is to interact with patients, improve self-awareness and learn about different cultures within the community. The strategies are key as they will create the needed awareness, and help improve the outcome of care. Cultural competence differs from cultural humility in different ways. Cultural competence encompasses the ability to work with patients from different cultures while at the same time identifying the impact that cultural bias might have on care delivery. On the other hand, cultural humility entails the capacity for care providers to recognize their limitations, assumptions, or challenges when working with other cultures to avoid bias or predetermined patient care (Kersey-Matusiak, 2018). When nurses are not sensitive to cultural differences, they tend to provide biased medical care that does not meet patient autonomy. As a result, patient satisfaction is negatively affected. With modernization, care providers are more likely to encounter patients from different cultures which requires the need for cultural competence. Focusing on cultural humility is more sustainable than trying to be more culturally competent as a nurse cannot be able to be aware of different cultures. However, a nurse can identify their biases and adjust their care depending on the needs of the patient through cultural humility (Kersey-Matusiak, 2018). Reference Kersey-Matusiak, G. (2018). Delivering culturally competent nursing care: Working with diverse and vulnerable populations (2nd ed.). Springer. ISBN: 9780826137272. Alternative Answer Cultural competence is the ability to appreciate, interact, and understand others cultures or beliefs that are different from their own (DeAngelis, 2015). “Cultural competence is defined as the attitudes, knowledge, and skills necessary for providing quality care to diverse populations” (Kersey-Matusiak, 2019, p.8). Culturally competent nurses are able to deliver care that values the beliefs of their patients (Kersey-Matusiak, 2019). Culturally competent care does not just happen; there are steps nurses must take to become culturally competent. To become culturally competent, one must learn who they are first (Clay, 2010). Learn about your ancestors, personal background, be curious, and perform a self-assessment (Clay, 2010). Learn about different cultures by immersing yourself in their literature, language, and customs (Clay, 2010). Become comfortable in unfamiliar surroundings, converse with different religious groups, volunteer at community centers, and make friends with people of different cultures (Clay, 2010). Attend diversity training seminars to collaborate with other professionals (Clay, 2010). If culturally competent training is not offered at your institution, submit a process to formalize educational material for your organization and peers (Clay, 2010). Cultural humility recognizes that bias may occur and nurses need to understand and eliminate their own prejudices (Kersey-Matusiak, 2019). Healthcare providers need to recognize that their perspectives are influenced by policies that are dominated on the basis of whiteness and maleness (Kersey-Matusiak, 2019). Cultural humility addresses unconscious biases a nurse may possess and empowers the nurse to work towards eliminating these biases while providing culturally competent care. Cultural sensitivity is having an attitude towards a specific culture or ethnic background and not saying offensive things directed at that background (Kersey-Matusiak, 2019). Cultural sensitivity can also include the avoidance of particular words, phrases, or categorizations of individuals (Kersey-Matusiak, 2019). An example of cultural sensitivity was the removal of the Washington Redskins name from the NFL due to the thoughts and feelings of the Native Americans. Nursing is a trusted profession by the public. Nurses as well as other healthcare providers must provide culturally sensitive care to know how to communicate with their patients and develop professional relationships (The Role of Cultural Sensitivity in Building Patient Relationships, 2019). Nurses must understand nonverbal communication, inclusive language, cultural customs, relatable medical terms, and the use of personal touch (The Role of Cultural Sensitivity in Building Patient Relationships, 2019). Failure to utilize culturally sensitive care can create unwanted distress for patients and they may fail to seek medical attention when required as a result. Nurses must be able to make their patients feel comfortable in a healthcare setting. Cultural competence is learning to accept and understand other cultures. Cultural humility is recognizing personal biases that may distort your perception of other cultures. Cultural sensitivity is recognizing those biases and behaving in an acceptable way towards different backgrounds. Providing care with “cultural sensitivity and cultural humility are both means to the end being cultural competence” (Kersey-Matusiak, 2019, p. 6). References Clay, R. (2010). https://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2010/09/culturally-competent. www.apa.org. https://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2010/09/culturally-competent. DeAngelis, T. (2015, March). In search of cultural competence. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2015/03/cultural-competence. Kersey-Matusiak, G. (2019). Delivering culturally competent nursing care: Working with diverse and vulnerable populations (2nd ed.). The Role of Cultural Sensitivity in Building Patient Relationships. (2019, July 11). Minority Nurse. https://minoritynurse.com/the-role-of-cultural-sensitivity-in-building-patient-relationships/. Module 1 Assignment Assignment Description: Part 1: For this assignment, conduct a cultural self-assessment using the Staircase Self-Assessment Model and write a 1250–1500-word reflection essay. To understand culture and cultural diversity, you must understand your own culture and beliefs. Utilizing the Staircase Self-Assessment Model as a means of determining your level of cultural competency, write a 1250 to 1500-word essay outlining the six stages: cultural destructiveness, cultural