Define the patient, family, or population health problem that will be the focus of your capstone project. Assess the problem from a leadership, collaboration, communication, change management, and policy perspective.
• Define a patient, family, or population health problem that’s relevant to your practice.
o Summarize the problem you’ll explore.
o Identify the patient, family, or group you intend to work with during your practicum.
o Provide context, data, or information that substantiates the presence of the problem and its significance and relevance to the patient, family, or population.
o Explain why this problem is relevant to your practice as a baccalaureate-prepared nurse.
• Analyze evidence from peer-reviewed literature and professional sources that describes and guides nursing actions related to the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined.
o Note whether the authors provide supporting evidence from the literature that’s consistent with what you see in your nursing practice.
o Explain how you would know if the data are unreliable.
o Describe what the literature says about barriers to the implementation of evidence-based practice in addressing the problem you’ve defined.
o Describe research that has tested the effectiveness of nursing standards and/or policies in improving patient, family, or population outcomes for this problem.
o Describe current literature on the role of nurses in policy making to improve outcomes, prevent illness, and reduce hospital readmissions.
o Describe what the literature says about a nursing theory or conceptual framework that might frame and guide your actions during your practicum.
• Explain how state board nursing practice standards and/or organizational or governmental policies could affect the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined.
1. Defining the Problem:
Summarize the problem you’ll explore:
Medication non-adherence in older adults with chronic diseases is a significant public health problem. Poor adherence leads to worsened health outcomes, increased healthcare costs, and decreased quality of life for both patients and their families.
Identify the patient, family, or group you intend to work with during your practicum:
I will work with older adults diagnosed with chronic diseases (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, heart failure) in outpatient settings like community health centers or senior living facilities. Additionally, I will collaborate with their families and caregivers, healthcare providers, and pharmacists to implement and evaluate interventions aimed at improving medication adherence.
Provide context, data, or information that substantiates the presence of the problem and its significance and relevance to the patient, family, or population:
Explain why this problem is relevant to your practice as a baccalaureate-prepared nurse:
2. Analyzing Evidence from the Literature:
Note whether the authors provide supporting evidence from the literature that’s consistent with what you see in your practice:
Yes, the literature heavily supports the observations in practice. Numerous studies confirm the high prevalence of non-adherence in older adults and its detrimental consequences. Additionally, research identifies various barriers to adherence that I encounter regularly, such as complex medication regimens, cognitive decline, financial constraints, and lack of understanding about medications.
Explain how you would know if the data are unreliable:
I will critically evaluate the sources I use, considering factors like publication date, author qualifications, methodology, and potential biases. I will also look for consistency across multiple studies published in reputable journals and organizations like the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) or the CDC.
Describe what the literature says about barriers to the implementation of evidence-based practice in addressing the problem you’ve defined:
Common barriers include:
2. Continued Analysis (Word Count ~ 900):
Here are some additional sections you can expand on to reach the 2000-word target: