Healthcare Program Implementation Essay Assignment
Interview Transcript
Question 1: Tell us about a healthcare program, within your practice. What are the costs and projected outcomes of this program?
Response: This hand sanitation program is presented as a nurse-led quality improvement initiative. It notes that hand hygiene is a simple but often ignored hospital practice integral to preventing nosocomial infection. Many hospital-acquired infections reported at the facility have been linked to inadequate hand hygiene practices, creating a need for a hand hygiene program. This program applies robust, standard processes involving using a checklist to observe hand hygiene compliance and facilities, appointing a hand hygiene committee to monitor and sustain program activities, procuring and distributing hand rub, and placing hand washing materials strategically. These are low-cost interventions conducted with an estimated annual budget of $2,000, helping to increase the availability of hand hygiene facilities, consequently reducing incidences of hospital-acquired infection within the facility. Healthcare Program Implementation Essay Assignment
Question 2: Who is your target population?
Response: The target population is all stakeholders with access to the medical facility. This includes medical personnel, patients, family members, and support staff. In this case, hand hygiene facilities are availed and placed in strategic positions within the organization. This allows those who visit the organization to use the hand hygiene facilities. In addition, posters are strategically positioned within the organization to act as educational materials and reminders of the importance of hand hygiene and its implications for health outcomes, particularly hospital-acquired infections. The program has created a hand-hygiene culture that extends outside the organization as stakeholders learn about the importance of hand hygiene and continue with the same practices even when outside the organization, such as using hand rubs in public places and washing hands at home.
Question 3: What is the role of the nurse in providing input for the design of this healthcare program? Can you provide examples?
Response: Nurses provide input in the program design. First, they can collect the opinions and input from other stakeholders, such as patients, and present them in the design phase. Second, nurses synthesize evidence to guide the development of the program design. This involves applying principles of evidence-based practice in synthesizing the evidence and ensuring it is integrated into the program design. Third, they apply current frameworks and theories to the program design development. This involves identifying and drawing attention to the program frameworks that would work best for the organization. Fourth, they apply inclusive design principles for scalability, replicability, and sustainability. Fifth, they develop and present monitoring systems and frameworks to be integrated into the program. Finally, they develop work plans, budgets, and risk management plans to guide the program implementation. Healthcare Program Implementation Essay Assignment
Question 4: What is your role as an advocate for your target population for this healthcare program? Do you have input into design decisions? How else do you impact design?
Response: Nurses have a position of trust and leverage this position to protect patients’ safety, health, and rights. They work with other stakeholders, such as policymakers, medical administrators, nurse leaders, healthcare providers, and healthcare organizations, to ensure that patients always receive the highest possible levels of care at affordable costs. As a nurse advocate, I leverage my position to ensure that every decision, at the very minimum, does not harm the patient. This extends to design decisions where the patient needs must be considered and every effort made to maximize benefits and minimize harm for the patients and other stakeholders. This may involve applying critical thinking and analytical skills in finding, evaluating, and using relevant information from various sources, such as patients and publications. Healthcare Program Implementation Essay Assignment
Question 5: What is the role of the nurse in healthcare program implementation? How does this role vary between the design and implementation of healthcare programs? Can you provide examples?
Response: The nurse is involved in the implementation process. In this case, nurses ensure that the program is implemented as intended. This involves engaging other stakeholders in fulfilling their roles within the program, such as engaging other healthcare personnel in hand hygiene activities. In addition, the nurses educate other stakeholders on the program implementation. Besides that, they collect feedback as they evaluate the program and ensure that its subsequent design improves on previous failures and shortcomings.
Question 6: Who are the members of a healthcare team that you believe are most needed to implement a program? Can you explain why?
Response: A healthcare team implementing a program should have six members. First, a program leader who sets the program agenda, leads and facilitates meetings between the team members, ensures that all voices are heard, and ensures team agreements are held. The team leader manages the work plan, assigns action items to responsible parties, sets timelines for program activities, and reports program progress to other stakeholders. Second, an administration member who records team activities takes notes on discussed points, shares the notes with the team members, and schedules team meetings—the administration member documents team action items, including timelines and responsible persons for each activity. Third, the subject matter expert provides knowledge about the science involved in the program. The subject matter expert is engaged for their technical expertise and experience and helps to answer and solve finance, data, administrative, and clinical questions and challenges. Fourth, a communicator who reports on the team’s progress to the organization’s leadership and other stakeholders and ensures clear communication about the program. Fifth, a champion or advocate for the stakeholders. This champion ensures that the rights, needs and opinions of the stakeholders are not ignored in the program design and implementation. Finally, a data analyst and quality improvement lead analyzes the program data and implements a quality improvement approach (such as plan-do-study-act cycles) in making observations and suggesting incremental improvements for the program. Healthcare Program Implementation Essay Assignment
As their names imply, the honeyguide bird and the honey badger both share an affinity for honey. Honeyguide birds specialize in finding beehives but struggle to access the honey within. Honey badgers are well-equipped to raid beehives but cannot always find them. However, these two honey-loving species have learned to collaborate on an effective means to meet their objectives. The honeyguide bird guides honey badgers to newly discovered hives. Once the honey badger has ransacked the hive, the honey guide bird safely enters to enjoy the leftover honey. Much like honeyguide birds and honey badgers, nurses and health professionals from other specialty areas can—and should—collaborate to design effective programs. Nurses bring specialties to the table that make them natural partners to professionals with different specialties. When nurses take the requisite leadership in becoming involved throughout the healthcare system, these partnerships can better design and deliver highly effective programs that meet objectives. In this Assignment, you will practice this type of leadership by advocating for a healthcare program. Equally as important, you will advocate for a collaborative role of the nurse in the design and implementation of this program. To do this, assume you are preparing to be interviewed by a professional organization/publication regarding your thoughts on the role of the nurse in the design and implementation of new healthcare programs. Healthcare Program Implementation Essay Assignment To Prepare: • Review the Resources and reflect on your thinking regarding the role of the nurse in the design and implementation of new healthcare programs. • Select a healthcare program within your practice and consider the design and implementation of this program. • Reflect on advocacy efforts and the role of the nurse in relation to healthcare program design and implementation. The Assignment: (2–4 pages) In a 2- to 4-page paper, create an interview transcript of your responses to the following interview questions: • Tell us about a healthcare program, within your practice. What are the costs and projected outcomes of this program? • Who is your target population? • What is the role of the nurse in providing input for the design of this healthcare program? Can you provide examples? • What is your role as an advocate for your target population for this healthcare program? Do you have input into design decisions? How else do you impact design? • What is the role of the nurse in healthcare program implementation? How does this role vary between design and implementation of healthcare programs? Can you provide examples? • Who are the members of a healthcare team that you believe are most needed to implement a program? Can you explain why? Healthcare Program Implementation Essay Assignment