Capstone Project Topic Selection and Approval Essay

 In collaboration with the approved course preceptor, students will identify a specific evidence-based topic for the capstone project change proposal. Students should consider the clinical environment in which they are currently employed or have recently worked. The capstone project topic can be a clinical practice problem, an organizational issue, a leadership or quality improvement initiative, or an unmet educational need specific to a patient population or community. The student may also choose to work with an interprofessional collaborative team.

Students should select a topic that aligns to their area of interest as well as the clinical practice setting in which practice hours are completed.

Write a 500-750 word description of your proposed capstone project topic. Include the following:

The problem or issue, intervention, quality initiative, educational need, or collaborative interprofessional team project that will be the focus of the change proposal.
The setting or context in which the problem or issue, intervention, quality initiative, educational need, or collaborative interprofessional team project can be observed.
A description (providing a high level of detail) regarding the problem or issue, intervention, quality initiative, educational need, or collaborative interprofessional team project.

THE TOPIC IS HOW TO REDUCE STRESS ON IN NURSING SUCH AS IMPLEMENTING BREAKS, AROMATHERAPY, OR RELAXATION ROOMS, ETC. 

Effect of the problem or issue, intervention, quality initiative, educational need, or collaborative interprofessional team project.
Significance of the topic and its implications for nursing practice.
A proposed solution to the identified project topic with an explanation of how it will affect nursing practice.
You are required to cite to a minimum of eight peer-reviewed sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the last 5 years, appropriate for the assignment criteria, and relevant to nursing practice. Plan your time accordingly to complete this assignment.

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

Stress is a mechanism of the body to safeguard itself when a person pushes individual limits to threaten the intrapersonal psychological and physical borders. Capstone Project Topic Selection and Approval Essay. Although it is a mechanism of the body to safeguard itself, prolonged stress can result in anxiety. The health sector is considered to be one of the most significant fields with stressful work environments since it serves individuals with intense stress (Nazari, Mirzamohamadi & Yousefi, 2015).  Therefore, healthcare professionals experience intense stress more often. Current literature reveals that nurses are the healthcare professionals who experience intense stress and anxiety. According to Veiga et al., (2019), this is because most nurses are women, have different roles and responsibilities, spend the most time in contact with relatives and patients, and have an integral role in the healthcare team. Thus, the nursing profession is regarded as the most stressful occupation.

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Setting

Stress occurs among nurses in all healthcare settings. However, it is more common among nurses working in PMH (primary mental health), ED, ICUs, ORs,  and long term care settings due to the intense nature of nursing care and nursing processes required for patients in those settings (Wiglesworth & Farnworth, 2016).

High-Level Description of the Problem

Generally, hospitals are considered the most stressful work environments since healthcare professionals are frequently exposed to stressors such as cognitive and physical workloads, time pressure, inadequate resources, and individual responsibilities (Yang, Tang & Zhou, 2018). Repeated exposure to stress has detrimental effects on an individual’s mental and physical health.  Capstone Project Topic Selection and Approval Essay.

Persistent stress activates the autonomic nervous system and the HPA axis and this increases the stress hormone levels which can harm the immune system. Besides, both acute and chronic stresses are associated with negative outcomes such as depression and anxiety and decreases work performance (Eren & Oztunc, 2017).  Current evidence reveals that nurses are the healthcare providers with the highest risk of mental and physical stress-related issues such as depression, chronic fatigue, and anxiety. Nurses report the highest levels of occupational burnout caused by long-term emotional and physical exhaustion, chronic stress at work, decreased interest, and on-job motivation.

Effect of the Problem

Stress is a huge problem among nurses whose most integral contributing factors include consecutive working shifts, prolonged working hours, lack of rest breaks, and insufficient sleep. Stress contributes to nurses’ resilience, which is nurses’ ability to successfully cope despite adverse situations (Chang, Lin & Chang, 2017).Capstone Project Topic Selection and Approval Essay.  Nursing stress is strongly related to negative health outcomes and the quality of nursing care. Stress can affect nurses’ physical health by increasing their risk of injuries, and psychological health by increasing nurses’ risk of cognitive, depression, behavioral, and psychomotor disorders (Nejati, Rodiek & Shepley, 2016). Psychological and physical fatigue can result in decreased nursing performance and medical errors.

Significance and Implications for Nursing Practice

In nursing practice, nurses should consider undergoing aromatherapy massage to improve the quality of their sleep and overall health. Nurse leaders and administrators should implement aromatherapy massage, breaks, and relaxation techniques as part of employee health improvement programs since it helps to alleviate anxiety, depression, and fatigue and promotes sleep. Montibeler et al., (2018) highlight that, organizations should update and improve their policies and procedures on staff breaks as well as creating well-designed break areas.  Areas to conduct staff breaks have a positive impact on the rates of job satisfaction, performance, and retention of nurses. They also decrease job-associated healthcare concerns among nurses.

Proposed Solution

Relaxation techniques such as autogenic training, stretching, progressive relaxation, breathing exercises, and meditation have been evidenced as effective and most valuable approaches to manage the stress response. This can be implemented through the regulation of attention of regulation of muscle tone. Veiga et al., (2019) explain that relaxation techniques improve the regulation activity of the HPA axis leading to a decrease in the concentration levels of stress hormones, decreases negative affective states, and occupational burnout rates.  Another stress reduction strategy is aromatherapy which continues to become a broad area for nursing (Montibeler et al., 2018). Aromatherapy seeks to promote the overall health and wellbeing of the mind, body, and emotions using the natural aroma of   therapeutic plants. Capstone Project Topic Selection and Approval Essay. 

References

Chang, Y. Y., Lin, C. L., & Chang, L. Y. (2017). The effects of aromatherapy massage on sleep quality of nurses on monthly rotating night shifts. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2017.

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Eren, N. B., & Oztunc, G. (2017). The effects of aromatherapy on the stress and anxiety levels of nurses working in intensive care units. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 10(3), 1615-1623.

Montibeler, J., Domingos, T. D. S., Braga, E. M., Gnatta, J. R., Sato Kurebayashi, L. F., & Kurebayashi, A. K. (2018). Effectiveness of aromatherapy massage on the stress of the surgical center nursing team: a pilot study. Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da USP, 8.

Nazari, F., Mirzamohamadi, M., & Yousefi, H. (2015). The effect of massage therapy on occupational stress of Intensive Care Unit nurses. Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research, 20(4), 508–515. https://doi.org/10.4103/1735-9066.161001

Nejati, A., Rodiek, S., & Shepley, M. (2016). The implications of high‐quality staff break areas for nurses’ health, performance, job satisfaction, and retention. Journal of nursing management, 24(4), 512-523.

Veiga, G., Rodrigues, A. D., Lamy, E., Guiose, M., Pereira, C., & Marmeleira, J. (2019). The effects of a relaxation intervention on nurses’ psychological and physiological stress indicators: A pilot study. Complementary therapies in clinical practice, 35, 265-271.

Wiglesworth, S., & Farnworth, L. (2016). An exploration of the use of a sensory room in a forensic mental health setting: Staff and patient perspectives. Occupational Therapy International, 23(3), 255-264.

Yang, J., Tang, S., & Zhou, W. (2018). Effect of mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy on work stress and mental health of psychiatric nurses. Psychiatria Danubina, 30(2), 189-196. Capstone Project Topic Selection and Approval Essay.