Develop a data table that illustrates one or more under performing clinical outcomes in a care environment of your choice. Write an assessment (4 pages) that includes the data table in which you set one or more quantitative goals for the outcomes and propose a change plan that is designed to help you achieve the goals.
Introduction
Note: Each assessment in this course builds on the work you completed in the previous assessment. Therefore, it is recommended that you complete the assessments in this course in the order in which they are presented.
Knowing what is the best practice for our patients is very important in providing safe and effective care. Understanding best practices can help nurses identify areas of care that need to be improved. To identify areas of need, nurses must use evidence from various sources, such as the literature, clinical practice guidelines (CPG), professional organization practice alerts or position papers, and protocols. These sources of evidence can also be used to set goals for improvement and best practices with an eye toward improving the care experience or outcomes for patients.
The challenge facing many care environments and health care practitioners is how to plan for change and implement changes. For, if we cannot effectively implement changes in practice or procedure, then our goals of improving care will likely amount to nothing. This assessment focuses on allowing you to practice locating, assessing, analyzing, and implementing change strategies in order to improve patient outcomes related to one or more clinical goals.
This assessment will take the form of a data table to identify areas for improvement and to set one or more outcome goals, as well as a narrative describing a change plan that would help you to achieve the goals you have set.
Preparation
As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community. Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your assessment.
The assessment will be based on one or more outcomes that you would like to see improve. Think about experiences you have had working on setting goals for outcomes or using data to identify areas of need. Part of achieving your goal will be your ability to implement change in pursuit of improving outcomes. The Vila Health: Using Evidence to Drive Improvement simulation may be helpful in this regard.
Where do you look for resources and evidence to help you get started when treating a specific condition?
Where do you look for resources and evidence to help you get started when setting clinical goals?
When there are no guidelines or policies for setting clinical goals, where do you look for resources and evidence to help you get started?
How do you use these resources and evidence to begin constructing evidence-based treatment, or developing evidence-based goals?
What data do you plan to use as a basis for setting improved outcome goals?
What care environment do you envision using as the context of your assessment?
How would change models, strategies, or theories need to be applied to help ensure achievement of your outcome goals?
Which change models, strategies, or theories seem to be the best fit for your goals and environments. Why?
