Simulated DNP Evidence-based Project and Professional Leadership Capacity Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example

Simulated DNP Evidence-based Project and Professional Leadership Capacity Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example

Organizational Needs Assessment

Organizational needs assessment is an instrumental process for any healthcare organization since it aids in determining the strategies, resources, and personnel necessary to achieve the purpose during a change project. The needs assessment is vital in identifying and addressing potential problems or deficiencies that impede progress. It also helps to address significant delays or inefficiencies that may occur, especially in healthcare facilities that have multiple departments. The organizational needs assessments should adequately cover all areas in the healthcare facility to identify any problems or gaps to devise the necessary support towards interventions. Identifying and addressing the organizational gaps or issues allows the organization to achieve its goals, especially in evidence-based change projects. Specifically, healthcare organizations can identify and differentiate the well-performing and underperforming areas, departments, or units to devise improvements. In this project, the organizational needs assessment seeks to comprehend the significance of educating patients in primary care settings on mental health management for improved health outcomes. A PICOT framework will be utilized to formulate a research question on the identified problem.(Simulated DNP Evidence-based Project and Professional Leadership Capacity Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

Problem

Mental health problems remain a sensitive public health concern in the United States and globally. Current research estimates that among the 44.7 million Americans with mental illness, only 35 million receive mental health services (Poghosyan et al., 2019). The problems related to access to mental health services, stigmatization of mental health patients, and gaps between primary care and specialized mental health services impede patients’ flow toward mental healthcare. The mental concern has made its impact known in primary care, where patients who receive care in this setting present with mental health symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress. Mental health concern among adolescents receiving care in primary care settings has become eminent.(Simulated DNP Evidence-based Project and Professional Leadership Capacity Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

Primary care settings are the first contact in a healthcare system to address personal health needs through sustained partnerships with patients, families, and the community. The health personnel in primary care concentrate on general practice and other dental, pharmacy, and eye services, leaving patients’ mental health unattended. Besides the health personnel, the government fully integrates mental health services in primary care settings. Thus, patients receive inadequate mental health services, posing more problems and complications. The patient lacks adequate mental health awareness and education, leading to adverse outcomes. In the current primary care setting, adolescents are the most affected patient population since more than 70% report more severe mental health problems to the facility.(Simulated DNP Evidence-based Project and Professional Leadership Capacity Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

The key stakeholders for this evidence-based change project entail adolescents, parents/caregivers, and family members visiting the primary care clinic. Adolescents and their parents/ caregivers are key stakeholders since they are affected by mental health problems and their complications. Nurses and other healthcare professionals in the primary care clinic are also relevant stakeholders since they are mandated to provide mental health awareness through education to adolescents and their family members. The healthcare facility, its leadership, or management team are also key stakeholders whose support will be vital to implementing the project. For instance, the healthcare leaders in the facility will mobilize the health personnel to implement the proposed evidence-based change. The government may also provide resources such as funds required to sensitize the community about mental health problems. Schools will also be used to provide mental awareness to adolescents through education.(Simulated DNP Evidence-based Project and Professional Leadership Capacity Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

Practice Gap

Currently, there is an increased trend of mental illness among adolescents. The rise of mental illness can be linked to high delinquency rates, school drop-out, poor quality of life, and self-harm or suicidal incidences among teenagers and youths (Cavioni et al., 2021). Notably, the lack of adequate clinical guidelines to address and treat adolescent mental issues intensifies the problem. For this reason, teenagers do not receive the education interventions necessary to manage their mental health. Adolescents receiving healthcare in the primary care setting are highly affected since it lacks the required mental health personnel to address the problem. However, healthcare personnel in the primary care setting can utilize an evidence-based approach to devise clinical guidelines necessary to address the issue.(Simulated DNP Evidence-based Project and Professional Leadership Capacity Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

Evidence-based interventions such as organizing mental health awareness programs to educate adolescent patients and their parents on mental health problems and potential overcoming strategies will be effective (Westerlund et al., 2021). The World Health Organization (2021) reports a knowledge gap in evidence-based strategies and guidelines to address mental health concerns, especially among adolescents visiting primary care settings. Thus, healthcare professionals in primary care settings should diversify their skills to address mental health problems and utilize evidence-based interventions to offer mental awareness or education to patients with mental illness.(Simulated DNP Evidence-based Project and Professional Leadership Capacity Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

Practice Question

• Population: The patient population for this project is adolescents transitioning between childhood and adulthood. Adolescence is a unique period where physical, emotional, and social changes render adolescents to mental health issues. Adolescents visiting the primary care clinic in (Please fill your preferred healthcare facility) have been selected for this evidence-based change project.
• Intervention: The intervention will entail promoting mental health awareness. Healthcare promotion will be provided in the form of education to adolescents and their parents/caregivers on mental health problems and potential prevention strategies. Inadequate knowledge predisposes adolescents to mental health problems. For instance, adolescents may have negative stress coping strategies leading to mental issues related to anxiety and depression (see Table 2).(Simulated DNP Evidence-based Project and Professional Leadership Capacity Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)
• Comparison: Compared to current practice. Adolescents do not receive mental health awareness, especially in primary care settings.
• Outcome: The anticipated outcome of the project is to increase adolescents’ awareness about potential risk factors and causes of mental health problems. For instance, mental awareness programs will be vital to educate adolescents on positive coping strategies to avoid mental health problems (see Table 2).
• Time: This evidence-based project will take eight weeks. The period will be adequate to complete the processes of the project, such as obtaining evidence and educating the health personnel in the primary care setting on how to implement and sustain the intervention.(Simulated DNP Evidence-based Project and Professional Leadership Capacity Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)
• Practice Question: Among adolescents with mental health problems visiting primary care setting (P), does mental health awareness (I) compared to no mental health awareness in current practice (C) aid in managing mental illnesses (O) over eight weeks (T)?(Simulated DNP Evidence-based Project and Professional Leadership Capacity Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

Leading the Practice-Change Project

Evidence-based practice change projects are instrumental in addressing today’s healthcare challenges. DNP-prepared nurses possess the necessary knowledge, skills, and experience to lead in practice change projects. In this case, DNP-prepared nurses spearhead the collaboration of relevant stakeholders to promote the successful implementation of proposed interventions. The nurses promote effective communication among the project’s stakeholders by leading by example. They ensure maximum utilization of the available resources to meet the needs of the projects. By doing so, DNP-prepared nurses act as the driving force toward implementing evidence-based practice change to improve the quality of care and patient safety while eliminating potential health disparities.(Simulated DNP Evidence-based Project and Professional Leadership Capacity Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

Interprofessional Collaboration in Leading Project Teams

Mutual respect is crucial to building successful relationships in interprofessional collaboration (Ansa et al., 2020). Conflicts will likely arise when interprofessional team members portray negative traits such as abuse and bullying against human dignity and ethical behavior. As a leader, I will promote interprofessional collaboration by encouraging the team members to respect and uphold human values and dignity toward each other to mitigate potential conflicts. I will lead by example, treating all team members respectfully during interaction regardless of position, gender, or age. I will also implement a zero-tolerance policy against disrespect to promote mutual respect among the team members. Nonetheless, I will create a conducive working environment for all the team members where each will have an opportunity for open dialogue and discussion to promote understanding. By so doing, the team members will feel valued and respected, promoting success.(Simulated DNP Evidence-based Project and Professional Leadership Capacity Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

Subsequently, the comprehension of the goals and objectives of an interprofessional team is crucial to promote success. As a leader, I will identify the tasks and processes required to attain desired outcomes. I will assess and determine the strengths and weaknesses of each team member to ensure tasks are entirely competitive. I will embrace open communication where team members can share ideas to accomplish tasks effectively (Shore & Chung, 2022). Through open communication and feedback, team members learn from each other how to overcome their weaknesses to achieve the desired purpose. (Simulated DNP Evidence-based Project and Professional Leadership Capacity Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

Communicating in Project Management

Effective communication is necessary to implement and sustain evidence-based practice change projects. Thus, project leaders are mandated to promote constant communication among the team members to promote efficiency. I will portray confidence, clarity, civility, composure, and conciseness to encourage effective communication (Dolloff, 2022). I will display confidence in my verbal and non-verbal communication. I will demonstrate self-confidence and respect other people’s opinions. I will communicate concisely to avoid potential misunderstandings among the team members. I will also practice mindfulness to understand myself and others in different situations to obtain clarity and awareness that improves communication Harrison et al., 2021). Lastly, I will portray active listening to ensure I know various aspects of a problem before providing feedback.(Simulated DNP Evidence-based Project and Professional Leadership Capacity Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

Conclusion

            Do not complete the Conclusion until Week 7. Create a 1-paragraph conclusion for the composite paper that includes the following elements: (a) recap the paper’s purpose statement and organization (level 1 headings), (b) draw significant conclusions from the body of your paper, and (c) summarize the paper’s relevance to your hypothetical practice change project.(Simulated DNP Evidence-based Project and Professional Leadership Capacity Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

References

Ansa, B. E., Zechariah, S., Gates, A. M., Johnson, S. W., Heboyan, V., & De Leo, G. (2020, September). Attitudes and behavior towards interprofessional collaboration among healthcare professionals in a large academic medical center. In Healthcare (Vol. 8, No. 3, p. 323). MDPI. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8030323

Cavioni, V., Grazzani, I., Ornaghi, V., Agliati, A., & Pepe, A. (2021). Adolescents’ Mental Health at School: The Mediating Role of Life Satisfaction. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 720628.(Simulated DNP Evidence-based Project and Professional Leadership Capacity Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example) https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.720628

Dolloff, A. (2022). The Trust Imperative: Practical Approaches to Effective School Leadership. Rowman & Littlefield.

Harrison, R., Fischer, S., Walpola, R. L., Chauhan, A., Babalola, T., Mears, S., & Le-Dao, H. (2021). Where Do Models for Change Management, Improvement, and Implementation Meet? A Systematic Review of the Applications of Change Management Models in Healthcare. Journal of Healthcare Leadership, 13, 85–108.(Simulated DNP Evidence-based Project and Professional Leadership Capacity Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example) https://doi.org/10.2147/JHL.S289176

Poghosyan, L., Norful, A. A., Ghaffari, A., George, M., Chhabra, S., & Olfson, M. (2019). Mental health delivery in primary care: The perspectives of primary care providers. Archives of psychiatric nursing, 33(5), 63–67.(Simulated DNP Evidence-based Project and Professional Leadership Capacity Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnu.2019.08.001

Shore, L. M., & Chung, B. G. (2022). Inclusive leadership: How leaders sustain or discourage workgroup inclusion. Group & Organization Management, 47(4), 723-754. https://business.sdsu.edu/research/_files/_iido/shore-chung.pdf

Smith, A. C., Skinner, J., & Read, D. (2020). Philosophies of organizational change: perspectives, models, and theories for managing change. Edward Elgar Publishing.(Simulated DNP Evidence-based Project and Professional Leadership Capacity Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

Weintraub, P., & McKee, M. (2019). Leadership for Innovation in Healthcare: An Exploration. International journal of health policy and management, 8(3), 138–144. https://doi.org/10.15171/ijhpm.2018.122

Westerlund, A., Ivarsson, A., & Richter‐Sundberg, L. (2021). Evidence‐based practice in child and adolescent mental health services–The challenge of implementing national guidelines for treatment of depression and anxiety. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 35(2), 476-484(Simulated DNP Evidence-based Project and Professional Leadership Capacity Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example). https://doi.org/10.1111/scs.12859

World Health Organization (WHO) (2021). Adolescent Mental Health. https://www.who.int/newsroom/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health

Table 1

Organizational Needs Assessment: Practice Gap Identification

Table 2

Johns Hopkins Individual Evidence Summary Tool–4^th Edition Modified for DNP program