Journal of Internal Medicine Essay

This assignment combines those entries into one course-long reflective journal that integrates leadership and inquiry into current practice as it applies to the Professional Capstone and Practicum course. This final submission should also outline what students have discovered about their professional practice, personal strengths and weaknesses that surfaced during the process, additional resources and abilities that could be introduced to a given situation to influence optimal outcomes, and, finally, how the student met the competencies aligned to this course. The final journal should address a variable combination of the following, while incorporating your specific clinical practice experiences: New practice approaches Interprofessional collaboration Health care delivery and clinical systems Ethical considerations in health care Practices of culturally sensitive care Ensuring the integrity of human dignity in the care of all patients Population health concerns The role of technology in improving health care outcomes Health policy Leadership and economic models Health disparities. Journal of Internal Medicine Essay.

Capstone Reflective Journal

Introduction

The shortage of nurses is a major weakness in the quality of health care in the United States. The shortage of nurses is negative and impacts the level of care given to patients, including their wellbeing and satisfaction. Because of the growth in life expectancy, individuals are living longer. This elderly population in the United States is increasing increasingly and needs more complicated medical treatment. As a result, the requirement for nurses to stay in health care institutions has never been stronger.

The new practical approaches

The field of nursing has become diverse throughout the decades as a trained nurse, to remain relevant, I realized I had to adapt to changes. This has enabled me to give my best to my patient and also the vulnerable groups. For example, the use of the evidence-based practice has proven so helpful, for instance in health problems such as heart attack, asthma, obesity, and diabetes (Chen et al., 2016). I have realized that such values are not sufficiently embraced while performing various practices and also in care delivery. Within a conventional setting, patient safety studies have stressed on the evaluation of histories to assess patient safety issues and how it is affected by nursing shortage. I have come to realize that nursing is an area that is very rich in practices that endorse the use of empirical studies. Journal of Internal Medicine Essay.

Interprofessional collaboration

Tasks in health care are mostly multifaceted, complicate, and to some extend taxing.it is overwhelming especially for a single professional to complete. A single case may call for more than one group of people from different specialties. As far as teamwork and work collaboration is concerned, it is a great learning experience. (Chan et al., 2016). We cannot question the role of a nurse in leading the transformation and advancement of health. A nurse, therefore, should understand that no one can perform all these functions alone. However, nursing shortage reduces the rate of interprofessional collaboration and hence the quality of care.

Ethical consideration and healthcare

Sometimes nurses fight with ethical challenges that are related to patient care. This may result to issues and ethical hitches within the healthcare leading to deep moral questions coming up, the questions of wrongness or rightness under the professional choice and the almost care of patients (Chen et al., 2017) I came to understand the importance of being conversant with the ethical atmosphere and the culture of the health institution that I worked in. Ethical culture is a way in which ethical issues and situations that bring ethical problems are dealt with in the respective institution. In an event of any crises such as nursing shortage; it is advisable as a nurse to consult the ethical experts.

Health disparities

Health disparity is emerging to be an issue in today’s world. Certain groups of individuals enjoying comparatively better healthcare compared to others. Journal of Internal Medicine Essay. While the nurse has to ensure that all patient population has access to health service, the agenda of health equity has faced many challenges (Chen et al., 2016). For example, there are some reported cases of racial-based inequalities. The opinion that the US is a post-racial country is not accurate. In my opinion, geographical factors may be a major reason for increasing health disparities. Health disparities affect the quality of patient care.

Health care delivery and clinical systems

Optimal health can only be enjoyed by Americans when they benefit from health care services which are high in quality and properly coordinated. The health care sector in the United States is made up of clinicians, hospitals, insurance plans, and health care professionals. Nursing shortage affect the healthcare delivery by causing medical errors, high mortality rates and increasing patient to nurse ratio. As a nurse, I have learned that clinical perspective services such as medical procedures and tests also play an integral part in healthcare delivery systems. The services are useful in preventing ailments and enhancing the health of individuals.

Population health concerns

The main determinant of the health of a community is environmental factors. Social determinants such as nursing shortage also have a great impact on population health which is a main component of the Affordable Care Act. As a nurse, I have been able to recognize that social determinants have always been part of nursing. Various nursing institutions have identified the impacts of nursing shortage in healthcare and have begun developing nurse practitioner programs which will ensure Social determinants of health are a part of the curriculum.

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Health policy

Health policy can be defined as the decisions, plan, and actions incorporated to achieve various health care objectives in the society. Health policy decisions in the United States are made at the federal and congress level and also by other healthcare organizations (Burstin et al., 2017). As a nurse, I have learned that nurse’s play a significant role in the formulation of policies that will have great benefits in dealing with nursing shortages A majority of nursing agencies encourage nurses to actively participate in policy formulation. Journal of Internal Medicine Essay.  As a nurse, I can participate in the policy formulation process by analyzing various healthcare policies and laws, advising policymakers and the general public, and also developing and proposing various healthcare policies.

Leadership and economic models

The current health care system in the United States is unsustainable. All patients have a desire to receive the best care, but it needs to cost less. The healthcare system must therefore be changed to align with the interests of the public to regain public trust (Sfantou et al., 2017). The various stakeholders in the healthcare system have developed challenges in enhancing the value of care. Health care professionals such as doctors and nurses are in a better position to enhance the value of care. As a nurse I have identified servant leadership as the best way for health care facilities to handle nursing shortage and to increase the quality of patient care.

The role of technology in improving health care outcomes

Technological advancement in clinical applications has had a significant impact on the healthcare system and will continue to have a key role in the years to come (Gao et al., 2015). As a nurse, I have come to learn that nursing documentation is a very important element of healthcare information. Information systems are designed for nurses whereby documentation can be used to enhance a nurse’s knowledge regarding quality care. The field of nursing has received significant knowledge of how to improve patient care due to the new concepts that have been developed through information technology. Journal of Internal Medicine Essay.

Practices of culturally sensitive care

Ethical culture can be defined as the way ethical circumstances that develop ethical problems are addressed within a facility. Ethical practices in nursing can be sustained by constantly engaging with ethical experts. The experts play a key role in the collection of the code of ethics that have various guidelines and recommendations that indicate how to effectively respond to ethical issues (Char, 2018).

Ensuring the integrity of human dignity in the care of all patients

To effectively be able to provide the best care to patients, I have mastered the art of adapting to the transformations. For example, the continuous incorporation of evidence-based practice in nursing has been very crucial in addressing various health conditions such as asthma and diabetes. However, I have concluded that such principles are not efficiently embraced in the health care setting. The traditional setting paid key attention to improving quality and patient safety by analyzing records to assess the safety concerns of a patient. Currently, nursing has provided key leadership for enhancing care through the employment of the findings in practice. The continuous incorporation of evidence-based practice in nursing has transformed healthcare in various ways. Journal of Internal Medicine Essay. 

References

Burstin, H., Leatherman, S., & Goldmann, D. (2016). The evolution of healthcare quality measurement in the United States. Journal of internal medicine, 279(2), 154-159.

Char, D. S., Shah, N. H., & Magnus, D. (2018). Implementing machine learning in health care—addressing ethical challenges. The New England journal of medicine, 378(11), 981.

Chen, J., Mullins, C. D., Novak, P., & Thomas, S. B. (2016). Personalized strategies to activate and empower patients in health care and reduce health disparities. Health Education & Behavior, 43(1), 25-34.

Gao, Y., Li, H., & Luo, Y. (2015). An empirical study of wearable technology acceptance in healthcare. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 115(9), 1704-1723.

National Center for Health Statistics (the US. (2016). Health, United States, 2015: with special feature on racial and ethnic health disparities.

Sfantou, D. F., Laliotis, A., Patelarou, A. E., Sifaki-Pistolla, D., Matalliotakis, M., & Patelarou, E. (2017, December). Importance of leadership style towards quality of care measures in healthcare settings: a systematic review. In Healthcare (Vol. 5, No. 4, p. 73). Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. Journal of Internal Medicine Essay.

Journal Entry 1

As my BSN journey drew closer to the end I’m faced with the most anticipated class, my capstone project. As I entered into week 1, I spent a few hours in the classroom making sure I’m going through all my professors’ announcement and gathered all the necessary research information on Identifying two GCU Library scholarly databases that will assist me in finding the best research articles to support my EBP proposal for week 1 DQ. The ISP took hours to complete as it’s a planner for the next 10 weeks ahead. As nervousness sets in I promise myself to stay on path with all the requirements of this course. I met with my mentor during the week and discussed what is expected throughout the course; she completed and signed all the necessary forms needed for her approval.

Journal Entry 2

I was asked to select a PICOT and to send it to the individual site for the instructor’s approval. The anticipation of delivering my PICOT was when I devised my PICOT comment on adhesion education for patients undergoing anticoagulation therapy at home to avoid stroke, and my PICOT / DVT approved theme that was thrilling for me and my advisor. Before this recognition, I had to change my design and add a few items to my professor’s suggestions. Educating on the importance of home implementation, including food and blood screening for older adults, who have been undergoing anticoagulation therapy for a duration of 6 months, was conducted. GCU library became my source to compile much-needed peer review papers for the assignment and DQ’s. Met with my coach and run through the papers I compiled to determine the right match for the assignment. As I feel I am getting wrapped up with what’s expected in this course, I am focusing on intra-professional partnership and its relevance in resolving the issues associated with developing medicine and technology and growing the need for healthcare services. Health care activities are often demanding, nuanced, and multi-faceted (Char et al., 2018). An issue can require the expertise of multiple health practitioners from a range of specialties. It is also very necessary for a nurse to realize that he or she cannot do it.

Journal Entry 3

I submitted the peer-reviewed articles previously reviewed, along with strengths and weaknesses. We have addressed various approaches for testing proof of reference and contrast. The PICOT statement paper was also submitted and I did my best but was a little dissatisfied with the results. I spoke to my counselor to see if I did wrong and came up with various thoughts about how to go on with the papers. Seeking quality peer review papers was one of our options along with filtering them down to what suits my PICOT best. I still spent some time focusing on ethical issues of health care. The ongoing implementation of evidence-based nursing practice has changed patient care in many ways. Institutions of higher learning have acknowledged this pattern and have started to adjust the different nursing services to implement evidence-based practices (Burstin et al., 2016). Digital Publishing Institute. Journal of Internal Medicine Essay..

Journal Entry 4

I had the chance to spend a couple of hours with my trainer in the anticoagulation department. After doing what I was supposed to do for the patients that day, my counselor and I went over the peer review and agreed to finish the literature appraisal table. DQ’s have also been produced. We narrowed down to eight peer review papers after comprehensive and substantive analysis. This week, I wanted to focus on Health Care. Health policy may be described as policies, strategies, and steps taken to accomplish the different goals of health care in society. Health reform decisions in the United States are taken at the state and congress levels, as well as by various healthcare organizations. As a nurse, I have discovered that nurses have a major role to play in formulating strategies that can provide positive effects not just in the short term, but also in the longer term. The majority of health associations support nurses to engage directly in policy-making (Stanfou et al., 2016). As a nurse, I will engage in the policy development process by evaluating current health initiatives and regulations, educating decision-makers and the general public, and by designing and implementing new health policies.

Journal Entry 5

This week I spent doing DQ’s and visiting my mentor to find various opportunities to support me while I step ahead with this course. When I reach the middle of my course, my stress levels are rising high. The completion of eight hours was logged, no work schedule for the week, and so I took the chance to read on work for the weeks ahead. This week, I’ve decided to focus on the topic of public health. Environmental conditions are the primary determinant of the wellbeing of the population. Social determinants such as obesity and food shortages can have a major effect on the health of the population, which is a central aspect of the Affordable Care Act. Discrepancies of income levels for different people are the primary source of health disparities (Char et al., 2016). For example, disadvantaged blacks may find it difficult to receive affordable health care facilities relative to middle-class whites (National Center for Health Statistics, 2016).

Journal Entry 6

The literature review paper I did had its problems and complications; both my tutor and I were both uncertain about how to accomplish this task. We suffered, and the grades I got were apparent. All of the DQ’s achieved along with another prerequisite for this week. I begin to learn about the quality of health services and the healthcare method. Optimal wellness can only be achieved by Americans if they benefit from high-quality and well-coordinated health care. The health care system of the United States is made up of physicians, hospitals, insurers, and health care providers. Insurance programs play an integral role in health care delivery processes and they guarantee that those who can or cannot afford to cover certain insurance rates access affordable health coverage. Insurance programs have a major role to play in improving the health conditions of patients by comprehensive prevention, diagnostic, and chronic illness treatment. Technological innovations in therapeutic technologies have had a major effect on the healthcare sector and will continue to play a crucial role in the coming years (Gao et al., 2015). As a nurse, I have discovered that therapeutic experience programs, such as surgical treatments and examinations, can play an important role in healthcare delivery processes. Services are essential in the prevention of diseases and the improvement of the health of individuals. Digital Publishing Institute. Journal of Internal Medicine Essay. 

References

Burstin, H., Leatherman, S., & Goldmann, D. (2016). The evolution of healthcare quality measurement in the United States. Journal of internal medicine, 279(2), 154-159.

Char, D. S., Shah, N. H., & Magnus, D. (2018). Implementing machine learning in health care—addressing ethical challenges. The New England journal of medicine, 378(11), 981.

Chen, J., Mullins, C. D., Novak, P., & Thomas, S. B. (2016). Personalized strategies to activate and empower patients in health care and reduce health disparities. Health Education & Behavior, 43(1), 25-34.

Gao, Y., Li, H., & Luo, Y. (2015). An empirical study of wearable technology acceptance in healthcare. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 115(9), 1704-1723.

National Center for Health Statistics (the US. (2016). Health, United States, 2015: with special feature on racial and ethnic health disparities.

Sfantou, D. F., Laliotis, A., Patelarou, A. E., Sifaki-Pistolla, D., Matalliotakis, M., & Patelarou, E. (2017, December). Importance of leadership style towards quality of care measures in healthcare settings: a systematic review. In Healthcare (Vol. 5, No. 4, p. 73). Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. Digital Publishing Institute. Journal of Internal Medicine Essay.