Category: Nursing

Select one of the healthcare mandates, the Affordable Care Act or the American Health Care Act and identify what are the specific provisions within the mandate that will directly impact the delivery and type or method of care you give to your patients. Discuss one key challenge that you anticipate facing in advanced practice as a result of one of the provisions of your selected mandate.

Please refer to the resources identified below for details regarding both healthcare mandates.

Chapter 19- Affordable Care Act

Summary of the American Health Care Act.pdf

All discussion posts must be minimum 250 words, references must be cited in APA format, and must include minimum of 2 scholarly resources published within the past 5-7 years.

Health Management Information System (HMIS) Technology Failure Essay

You are the Information Officer at a large hospital and it has been brought to your attention that there is a possibility a significant information technology failure or breach has occurred within your hospital. Using the Internet or the Strayer University library database identify another health care organization or healthcare provider that has recently had a significant information technology failure or breach. You will need to create a news brief  or memo to your staff letting them know about the failure or breach and how it has affected other organizations.

Write a Health Management Information System (HMIS) Technology Failure Essay news brief or memo for your staff in which you:

Outline four (4) key factors contributing to the HIMS failure or breach.

Analyze three (3) ways that the HIMS failure impacted both the organization’s operations and patient information protection, privacy or personal safety.

Diagnose the leadership team’s reaction to the failure, and indicate whether or not you believe the leadership took sufficient measures to deal with various stakeholder groups impacted by the failure. Next, consider whether the organization had significant resources in place to prevent this occurrence and if not identify where most of the contributing failure occurred.

Suggest three (3) outcomes for the facility and express whether you agree with the overall verdict or violation.

Recommend at least three (3) best practices that your hospital can adopt to avoid such a HIMS failure or breach in the future. Provide support for the recommendation in your Health Management Information System (HMIS) Technology Failure Essay.

Provide one (1) current government requirement requiring all healthcare organizations to ensure that health care and patient information is secure and information breaches and technology failures are minimized.

Use at least four (4) quality resources in this Health Management Information System (HMIS) Technology Failure Essay assignment. 
Note:
 Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources

Opinion Leader Perspectives

Consider some of the situations that motivated you to return to graduate school. Describe one in which you were (or wished you could have been) an opinion leader. What are the characteristics of opinion leaders? In what ways do you see yourself being an opinion leader?

Discussion post is at least 200 words.

Answers all questions with opinions/ideas creatively and clearly. Supports post using several outside, peer-reviewed sources.

3 References, try to find resources that are 5 years or less

No errors with APA format 6thEdition

Reflect on a patient who presented with a vaginal discharge during your Practicum Experience. Describe key signs and symptoms that were consistent with a sexually transmitted infection (STI) versus a non-STI related infection. If you diagnosed the patient with an STI, describe your experience in telling the patient that she had an STI, as well as the patient’s reaction to the diagnosis. Explain how the diagnosis might impact the patient’s life short-term and long-term. Include an explanation of the patient’s medical history, drug therapy and treatments, and follow-up care. If you did not have an opportunity to evaluate a patient with this background during the last four weeks, you may select a related case study from a reputable source or reflect on previous clinical experiences.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are 19 million new cases of sexually transmitted infections every year in the United States (CDC, 2010b). STIs may present serious health implications for infected patients—especially for those who are unaware of their health condition. Studies show that women are not only at greater risk of contracting these infections, but they also tend to have more severe health problems resulting from infections than men (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2009b). As an advanced practice nurse, you must educate female patients and emphasize the importance of prevention and STI testing for all women regardless of marital status, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. For this Discussion, consider STI education strategies for the three patients in the following case studies:

Case Study:

A 19-year-old Asian American female comes into the clinic for a well-woman checkup. She states that about three weeks ago she had a non-tender sore on her labia that resolved without treatment. Her gynecologic exam is normal but she has maculopapular lesions on her trunk, neck, palms, and soles of her feet. The remainder of her exam was unremarkable.

Post an explanation of the differential diagnosis for the patient in the case study you selected. Provide a minimum of three possible diagnoses, and list them from highest priority to lowest priority. Explain which is the most likely diagnosis for the patient and why. Then, explain a treatment and management plan for the patient, including appropriate dosages for any recommended treatments. Finally, explain strategies for educating patients on the sexually transmitted infection.

Nursing Practice Act/Policy and Procedure Essay

Purpose/Objective
:

Students will demonstrate critical thinking, communication, assessment, and technical skills in a written analysis.

Requirements
: Students will review the California Nurse Practice Act (NPA) and a literature review on hospital policies and procedures and write a brief essay describing the major functions of each. 
The majority of the essay should be a reflection on the impact that the Act (or a specific part of the NPA) and hospital policies will have on your professional status as a registered nurse. 

3 pages in length

3-4 references

To access the Nursing Practice Act follow this link: www.rn.ca.gov or search “California BRN”. Select the “Regulations” tab and click on the link for Nursing Practice Act– it is located in the Business and Professions Code starting with section 2700.

Translating Theory Into Practice Essay – Kurt Lewin’s change theory

When water is in a solid state, particles are packed in a rigid pattern, conforming to the shape of its container. As the water turns into a liquid, the particles regain their fluidity, moving as the other particles around them begin to shift. Kurt Lewin’s change theory is much like the changing state of water. Applying this theory, Lewin describes workplaces as being frozen in their procedures. In this state, it is impossible for change to occur successfully because people are “frozen.” Informaticists must recognize this rigid culture and begin to implement strategies that will unfreeze the opinions and procedures of the setting. According to Lewin, only then will staff begin to accept new processes over old ones.

This process of moving from freezing to unfreezing can be a turbulent one. In fact, many nurses have equated this to “working in slush.” By applying theories and frameworks developed by Lewin and others, nurse informaticists can better facilitate informatics implementations. In this Discussion, you explore how theories and conceptual frameworks can be applied to informatics implementations.

To prepare:

Review this week’s media presentation, 
Theories and Conceptual Frameworks, 
and consider how a nurse informaticist can use theories to guide informatics initiatives. What are the benefits of using theories?

Review the article “Organization-Wide Adoption of Computerized Provider Order Entry Systems: A Study Based on Diffusion of Innovations Theory” in this week’s Learning Resources. Consider how Roger’s diffusion of innovation theory impacted the adoption of the informatics system.

Conduct research in the Walden Library to locate a peer-reviewed article that (1) focuses on implementing a new informatics project or procedure and (2) discusses how a theory was used to guide this implementation.

Consider alternative theories that might also be applicable to that specific implementation.

By Day 3

Post 
the APA citation for your article and a brief summary that includes the setting of the implementation, what was being implemented, the need for the implementation, and the titles of the staff who spearheaded the project (if provided). Identify the theory that drove the implementation, and explain how this theory was translated into practice by the planning team. Finally, suggest alternative theories that could have been used and support your response with references to the research literature.

Health care organizations are continuously immersed in change from the emergence of new policies, to promote quality care and improve patient safety to keeping pace with the rapid growth in knowledge and best practices. Establishing a solid framework for planning and implementing change is a wise move, as it provides a foundation for the extensive coordination that will be needed to successfully facilitate the change.

For this Assignment, you propose a change at the department or unit level and develop a plan for guiding the change effort.

To prepare:

Review Chapter 8 in the course text. Focus on Kurt Lewin’s change theory, and contrast it with other classic change models and strategies.

Reflect on problems, inefficiencies, and critical issues within a specific department, unit, or area in your organization or one with which you are familiar. Select one issue as a focal point for this assignment, and consider a change that could be made to address the issue.

Think about how the change would align with the organization’s mission, vision, and values as well as relevant professional standards.

Using one of the change models or strategies discussed in Chapter 8, begin formulating a plan for implementing the change within the department/unit. Outline the steps that you and/or others should follow to facilitate the change effort. Align these steps to the change model or strategy you selected.

Determine who should be involved in initiating and managing the change. Consider the skills and characteristics that are necessary to facilitate this change effort.

To complete:

By Day 7

Write a 3- to 5-page paper (page count does not include title and reference page) that addresses the following:

Identify a problem, inefficiency, or issue within a specific department/unit.

Describe a specific, realistic change that could be made to address the issue.

Summarize how the change would align with the organization’s mission, vision, and values as well as relevant professional standards.

Identify a change model or strategy to guide your planning for implementing the change. Provide a rationale for your selection.

Outline the steps that you and/or others would follow to facilitate the change. Align these steps to your selected change model or strategy.

Explain who would be involved in initiating and managing this change. Describe the skills and characteristics that would be necessary to facilitate the change effort.

Reminder: The School of Nursing requires that all papers submitted include a title page, introduction, summary, and references. The Sample Paper provided at the Walden Writing Center provides an example of those required elements. All papers submitted must use this formatting.

Note: This Assignment will serve as your Portfolio Assignment for this course.

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK4Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.

Click the Week 4 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.

Click the Week 4 Assignment link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.

Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK4Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.

If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.

Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

Leadership Paper 
Annotated Bibliography

Topic that you have selected for your leadership paper (COMMUNICATION) do a literature review and pick 1 article for your annotated bibliography.  Articles need to be nursing peer reviewed articles. An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited. Annotations are descriptive and critical; they expose the author’s point of view, clarity and appropriateness of expression, and authority

The literature review is a critical piece in the research process because it helps a researcher determine what is currently known about a topic and identify gaps or further questions. Conducting a thorough literature review can be a time-consuming process, but the effort helps establish the foundation for everything that will follow. For this part of your Course Project, you will conduct a brief literature review to find information on the question you developed in Week 2. This will provide you with experience in searching databases and identifying applicable resources.

To prepare:

· Review the steps for conducting a literature review and for compiling your findings.

· Using the question you selected in your Week 2 Project (Part 1 of the Course Project), locate 5 or more full-text research articles that are relevant to your PICOT question. Include at least 1 systematic review and 1 integrative review if possible. Use the search tools and techniques mentioned in your readings this week to enhance the comprehensiveness and objectivity of your review. You may gather these articles from any appropriate source, but make sure at least 3 of these articles are available as full-text versions through Walden Library’s databases.

· Read through the articles carefully. Eliminate studies that are not appropriate and add others to your list as needed. Although you may include more, you are expected to include a minimum of five articles. Complete a literature review summary table using the 
Literature Review Summary. 

· Prepare to summarize and synthesize the literature using the information on writing a literature review.

To complete:

Write a 3- to 4-page literature review that includes the following:

· A synthesis of what the studies reveal about the current state of knowledge on the question that you developed

o Point out inconsistencies and contradictions in the literature and offer possible explanations for inconsistencies.

· Preliminary conclusions on whether the evidence provides strong support for a change in practice or whether further research is needed to adequately address your inquiry

· Your literature review summary table with all references formatted in correct APA style

Note: Certain aspects of conducting a standard review of literature have not yet been covered in this course. Therefore, while you are invited to critically examine any aspect of the studies (e.g., a study’s design, appropriateness of the theoretic framework, data sampling methods), your conclusion should be considered preliminary. Bear in mind that five studies are typically not enough to reflect the full range of knowledge on a particular question and you are not expected to be familiar enough with research methodology to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of all aspects of the studies.