Nursing Advocacy Role in Program Design and Implementation Assignment

Nurses play a vital role in designing and implementing healthcare programs. Most of the time, they are the first contact that the patients have when they come to the hospital, especially in the emergency department. Therefore, it is important to involve nurses in the process of creating and implementing innovative healthcare programs to enhance quality patient care (Thomas, et al., 2016). Since the nurses spend a significant amount of time in patient care, the application of their knowledge and expertise in patient care will be valuable in ensuring an uninterrupted workflow during program development reducing a significant additional cost of the project. This paper will provide an interview transcript regarding nurses’ involvement in a healthcare program implementation and design. Nursing Advocacy Role in Program Design and Implementation Assignment

Interviewer: Tell us about a healthcare program within your practice.

The healthcare program that I would like to talk to you about is a patient follow-up program in the emergency room which we developed to ensure that patients who visit the emergency department (ED) and are discharged get proper follow-up without necessarily being admitted to our wards. The program was named Practical Alternative to Hospitalization (PATH). In this program, we focus on ensuring that patients, especially those with chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension receive care through reminders of their scheduled medical follow-ups through phone calls and text messages, and provision of support to ensure adherence to discharge instructions (Penn Medicine News, 2021).

ORDER HERE A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER 

Interviewer: What are the costs and projected outcomes of the project?

The cost of this project depends on the patient’s condition and whether the patient went for a surgical operation or not. It is included in the patient’s overall treatment plan, meaning that the patients are not charged separately for the follow-up program. For those patients covered by health insurance, the service is offered to them on their insurance program and they incur no additional costs. Those who are not on any insurance plan only pay the bill for emergency care which typically ranges from about $150-$3,000 or more, depending on the severity of the patient’s condition and the diagnostic tests and treatments performed (Cost Helper Health, 2022). Nursing Advocacy Role in Program Design and Implementation Assignment

The projected outcomes of this project are to ensure a reduction in the number of re-visits to our emergency room thus reducing overcrowding in the already crowded rooms. After stabilizing the patients, we assess for any complications to ensure that they are safe. Once the patients are stable, we discharge them home and provide a follow-up team that will ensure that the patients adhere to the discharge instructions and also get reminded of their scheduled medical follow-ups. Patients who receive the reminders either through phone calls, text messages, or emails generally feel supported, valued, and cared for (Luciani-Gilivray, et al., 2020)

Interviewer: What is your target population?

The target population for this program is all the patients who are seen in the emergency department in the hospital. The major beneficiaries are those with chronic conditions such as diabetes mellitus, and hypertension among other chronic illnesses who may not require hospitalization and may benefit more by receiving care at home than by being hospitalized.

Interviewer: What is the role of the nurse in providing input for the design of this healthcare program? Can you provide examples?

This program is typically a nurse-led program that ensures clients are followed up and provided with quality care for optimum outcomes. The nurses, therefore, play a vital role in the provision of input for designing this program. For instance, the nurses can suggest an appropriate method of providing reminders to the patients about their scheduled visits such as through a text message or a phone call. In cases where we are unable to reach the patients, we reach out to the next of kin to know the patient’s whereabouts and how they are faring. Those who cannot be reached through these means can be followed up physically by sending a follow-up team to their residential addresses for home visits. Nursing Advocacy Role in Program Design and Implementation Assignment

Interviewer: 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?

My role as an advocate for my target population, who are all the patients visiting the emergency department is to ensure that all the patients who are on follow-up are provided with the necessary information about the importance of the follow-up program and that they consent to it before being enrolled. My impact on the design of this program is ensuring that an appropriate follow-up measure is provided before implementation of the program and in case it is not favorable to the needs of the patient, it is not included in the program.

Interviewer: What is the role of the nurse in the healthcare program implementation? How does this role vary between the design and implementation of healthcare programs? Can you provide examples? Nursing Advocacy Role in Program Design and Implementation Assignment

Nurses coordinate patient care, which is an essential role making it important for nurses to have an input in the implementation of the healthcare program. Their training and qualification enable them to assess, plan, and implement healthcare solutions. This set of skills is important in the design and implementation process. With the incorporation of evidence-based research into nursing practice, nurses have an expanded role in healthcare. In this program, they are the main executors of the follow-up program. For instance, in this program, the implementation involves informing the patients about the existence of the program and educating them about its benefits. They then let the patients sign an informed consent before enrolling them in the program which sends them automated messages based on their scheduled appointment dates and discharge instructions from the emergency department. Nurses have an active involvement in the design and implementation phase of healthcare programs, although their roles may vary between these phases. In the design phase, the nurses provide input and ideas before the commencement of the program. During this phase, they envision ways through which the program will be of benefit to both the patients and the healthcare providers. In our case, their role during the program design is to provide ideas on the best methods of follow-up and reminders which can be of benefit to the patients.

Interviewer: Who are the healthcare team members who you believe are most needed to implement a program? Can you explain why?

Program implementation requires teamwork and collaboration among healthcare providers (Alderwick, et al., 2021). Some healthcare team members who are vital in the program implementation include the physicians, nurse managers, staff nurses, nutrition counselors, and physical and occupational therapists among other healthcare professionals who have direct involvement in the provision of patient care. This is because these professionals have direct involvement in patient care. Physicians will provide the clients with appointment dates and discharge instructions which the nurses will note and feed into the automated system that sends reminders to the patients. Nutritional counselors can provide direct follow–up care through a physical home visit to the patients for nutritional counseling and diet planning. Nurse managers should ensure that all the required instruments, machines, and systems are in proper working condition and ensure the availability of resources for their maintenance. Nursing Advocacy Role in Program Design and Implementation Assignment

References

Alderwick, H., Hutchings, A., Briggs, A., & Mays, N. (2021). The impacts of collaboration between local health care and non-health care organizations and factors shaping how they work: a systematic review of reviews. BMC Public Health. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10630-1

Cost Helper Health. (2022). Emergency Room Visit Cost. Retrieved from https://health.costhelper.com/emergency-room.html

Luciani-McGillivray, I., Cushing, J., Klug, R., Lee, H., & Cahill, J. E. (2020). Nurse-Led Callback Program to Improve Patient Follow-Up with Providers After Discharge from the Emergency Department. Journal of patient experience, 7(6), 1349–1356. https://doi.org/10.1177/2374373520947925

Penn Medicine News. (2021). A new emergency department program enables patients to recover at home safely. Retrieved from https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-releases/2021/may/new-emergency-department-program-enables-patients-to-recover-at-home-safely

Thomas, T. W., Seifert, P. C., & Joyner, J. C. (2016). Registered nurses leading innovative changes. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 21(3), 3. Nursing Advocacy Role in Program Design and Implementation Assignment

Program Design

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? 41 (41%) – 45 (45%)
Response provides a clear and complete summary of the healthcare program, including an accurate and detailed description of the costs and projected outcomes of the program.

Response provides a clear and accurate description that fully describes the target population.

Response provides a clear and accurate explanation of the role of the nurse in providing input for the design of the program, including specific examples.

Response provides an accurate and detailed description of the role of the nurse advocate for the target population for the healthcare program selected.

Response provides an accurate and detailed explanation of how the advocate’s role influences design decisions as well as fully explaining impacts to program design. 36 (36%) – 40 (40%)
Response provides a summary of the healthcare program, including a description of the costs and project outcomes of the program.

Response provides an accurate description of the target population.

Response provides an accurate explanation of the role of the nurse in providing input for the design of the program, including some examples. Nursing Advocacy Role in Program Design and Implementation Assignment

Response provides an accurate description of the role of the nurse advocate for the target population for the healthcare program selected.

Response provides an accurate explanation of how the advocate’s role influences design decisions and somewhat explains impacts to program design.
Program Implementation
· What is the role of the nurse in healthcare program implementation?
How does this role vary between design and implantation 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 you think this? 36 (36%) – 40 (40%)
Response provides a clear, accurate, and complete explanation of the role of the nurse in healthcare program implementation.

Response provides an accurate and detailed explanation of how the role of the nurse is different between design and implementation of healthcare programs, including specific examples.

Response provides an accurate and detailed description of the members of a healthcare team needed to implement the program selected. 32 (32%) – 35 (35%)
Response provides an accurate explanation of the role of the nurse in healthcare program implementation.

Response provides an accurate explanation of how the role of the nurse is different between design and implementation of healthcare programs and may include some specific examples.

ORDER HERE NOW

Response provides and accurate description of the members of a healthcare team needed to implement the program selected.
Written Expression and Formatting – Paragraph Development and Organization:

Paragraphs make clear points that support well developed ideas, low 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 (5%) – 5 (5%)
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity. Nursing Advocacy Role in Program Design and Implementation Assignment

A clear and comprehensive purpose statement, introduction, and conclusion is provided which delineates all required criteria. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%)
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. Nursing Advocacy Role in Program Design and Implementation Assignment