Capstone Project Change Proposal: Nurse Handoff Communication
In this assignment, students will pull together the capstone project change proposal components they have been working on throughout the course to create a proposal inclusive of sections for each content focus area in the course. For this project, the student will apply evidence-based research steps and processes required as the foundation to address a clinically oriented problem or issue in future practice.
Develop a 1,250-1,500 written project that includes the following information as it applies to the problem, issue, suggestion, initiative, or educational need profiled in the capstone change proposal:
1-Background
2-Clinical problem statement.
3-Purpose of the change proposal in relation to providing patient care in the changing health care system.
4-PICOT question.
5-Literature search strategy employed.
6-Evaluation of the literature.
7-Applicable change or nursing theory utilized.
8-Proposed implementation plan with outcome measures.
9-Discussion of how evidence-based practice was used in creating the intervention plan.
10-Plan for evaluating the proposed nursing intervention.
11-Identification of potential barriers to plan implementation, and a discussion of how these could be overcome.
12-Appendix section, if tables, graphs, surveys, educational materials, etc. are created.
Review the feedback from your instructor on the Topic 3 assignment, PICOT Question Paper, and Topic 6 assignment, Literature Review. Use this feedback to make appropriate revisions to these before submitting.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
Capstone Project Change Proposal
Student’s Name
Institution
Course
Professor’s Name
Date
Capstone Project Change Proposal
Background
Effective delivery of care is highly dependent on effective communication, especially during the transition of care. Nurse handoff communication plays a crucial role in the perioperative setting, encompassing preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases. In the absence of effective nurse handoff communication, patient face an increased risk of harm due to delayed surgeries and increased medical errors (Caruso et al., 2017). Existing literature reveals that implementing a standardized handoff protocol improves nurse handoff communication.
Clinical Problem Statement
Poor nurse handoff communication, especially in the perioperative settings, has become a significant issue. Methangkool et al. (2019) revealed that operating rooms and other care units in the perioperative settings are more prone to handoff communication problems, affecting patient recovery and safety. A closer look at the issue shows that the current handoff protocol used at a certain organization is ineffective in enhancing nurse handoff communication. Addressing this issue is paramount because patients in the perioperative setting often transition from one care unit to another. Therefore, poor nurse handoff communication can threaten their safety, recovery, and overall health outcomes.
Purpose of the Change Proposal
The proposed change is meant to improve nurse handoff communication in the perioperative setting. Also, the proposed change, which entails implementing a standardized handoff protocol, is expected to reduce medical errors stemming from the transfer of incomplete/incorrect patient medical information during handoffs, improve nurse engagement throughout the handoff process, and improve patient recovery and outcomes.
PICOT Question
In the perioperative setting (P), what is the impact of a standardized handoff protocol (I) among perioperative nurses compared to the current handoff (C) on nurse communication and patient safety (O) within six weeks (T)?
Literature Search Strategy Employed
Once the research topic and key concepts were identified, a literature search strategy was devised. It involved identifying some of the key terms and words as well as their synonyms. The key terms searched were nurse handoff OR nurse handover process, standardized OR structured handoff protocol, perioperative OR postoperative settings, standardized handoff protocol AND perioperative settings, standardized handoff protocol AND patient outcome, and nurse communication. Boolean operators "AND" and "OR" were used to ensure that the identified key terms were included in the results. Several databases were utilized during the development of the capstone project. They have CINAHL, Google Scholar, and PubMed. Finally, the most relevant articles from the search were selected for literature evaluation.
Evaluation of the Literature
First, the literature sources were evaluated to determine their credibility, reliability, and relevance to the capstone project. This was done by identifying the authors, the journals in which the articles had been published, and the date of the publication. The criteria for the literature evaluation included the research questions/ hypothesis that the articles sought to answer, the purpose and aim of the studies, the design utilized in each study, the study setting or sample, and the interventions used in each study. These helped to determine whether the methodology utilized in each study was sound. Additionally, the evaluation included an examination of the analysis used in each study, a summary of the key findings, and the recommendations from each study. These helped create a clear picture of how the selected studies/articles contribute to my capstone project.
Applicable Change or Nursing Theory Employed
Lewin's three-stage theory of change was deemed the most applicable change theory for this capstone project. This theory/model proposes that for change to occur, change activities must go through three key stages; unfreezing, changing, and refreezing (Wojciechowski et al., 2016). The unfreezing stage involves creating awareness about the needed change, such as the standardized handoff protocol. This can be done by pointing out the problems caused by the status quo, such as poor nurse handoff communication and patient outcomes due to the use of the current handoff protocol in the organization. The changing stage is the transition from the status quo to the desired status. This can be done through training, such as training nurses on using a standardized handoff protocol. Finally, the refreezing stage involves reinforcing the change, such as enhancing compliance in using the new protocol through continued training until it becomes the status quo.
Proposed Implementation Plan with Outcome Measures
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