Week 6
The Advanced Practice Nurse and Clinical Scholarship
DISCUSSION
PURPOSETh
Week 6
The Advanced Practice Nurse and Clinical Scholarship
DISCUSSION
PURPOSEThe purpose of this discussion is to explore the dissemination of clinical scholarship to foster improvement in the safety and quality of patient-centered care at all system levels.
INSTRUCTIONSDNP-prepared APNs lead through clinical scholarship which includes writing for publications. Reflect on the lesson and readings this week and respond to the following:
Identify a scholarly peer-reviewed journal where you would choose to publish your future completed DNP practice change project.
Differentiate why the selected journal would be an appropriate choice as compared to other professional journals.
Provide a summary of the author guidelines and manuscript submission requirements for the journal you have chosen.
Please click on the following link to review the DNP Discussion Guidelines on the Student Resource Center program page:
Link (webpage): DNP Discussion GuidelinesLinks to an external site.
PROGRAM COMPETENCIESThis discussion enables the student to meet the following program outcomes:
Integrates scientific underpinnings into everyday clinical practice. (POs 3, 5)
Applies organizational and system leadership skills to affect systemic changes in corporate culture and to promote continuous improvement in clinical outcomes. (PO 6)
Uses analytic methods to translate critically appraised research and other evidence into clinical scholarship for innovative practice improvements. (POs 3, 5)
Appraises current information systems and technologies to improve health care. (POs 6, 7)
Analyzes health care policies to advocate for equitable health care and social justice to all populations and those at risk due to social determinants of health. (POs 2, 9)
Creates a supportive organizational culture for flourishing collaborative teams to facilitate clinical disease prevention and promote population health at all system levels. (PO 8)
Translates a synthesis of research and population data to support preventative care and improve the nation’s health. (PO 1)
Leads others in professional identity, advanced clinical judgment, systems thinking, resilience, and accountability in selecting, implementing, and evaluating clinical care. (POs 1, 4)
COURSE OUTCOMESThis discussion enables the student to meet the following course outcomes:
Apply leadership practices that support interprofessional collaborative practice and team effectiveness. (PCs 2, 4, 5, 6, 8; POs 2, 4, 6, 8)
Translate quality improvement initiatives to provide safe and effective patient-centered care. (PCs 1, 3, 6, 7, 8; POs 1, 3, 5, 8)
PRACTICE PROBLEM BELOW
Practice Problem.
One of the issues that I have identified in my practice for concerns is medication reconciliation. One of the critical processes in healthcare is medication reconciliation, which means comparing all medications taken by the patient. This procedure helps in determining whether any difference exists between the medications and resolves them so that patient safety can be ensured. The identified issue is an incomplete or inaccurate medication reconciliation particular to our healthcare environment. This may result in medication mistakes, adverse drug events, and compromised patient safety. I believe that Interprofessional collaboration is necessary to address this problem.
Interprofessional collaboration to implement a practice change and improve the safety and quality of healthcare services.
Healthcare professionals from different disciplines working together to provide comprehensive and integrated care is the concept of interprofessional collaboration. Through the inclusion of different personnel in medication reconciliation, including nurses, pharmacists, and doctors, we can bring their specific knowledge and ability on medication reconciliation to bear (Rojas-Ocaña et al., 2020). To carry out the practice change and make improvements in the safety of care, as well as quality medication reconciliation, I would start an Interprofessional team that includes different nursing professionals, pharmacists, and physicians, among others. This team would scrutinize the current drug reconciliation process, identify areas that require improvement, and reform strategies to improve such deficiencies.
First of all, an in-depth evaluation of the existing medication reconciliation procedure should be performed. This evaluation would offer insight into the etiological aspects that led to incomplete or incorrect medication reconciliation. Next, the Interprofessional team will review the data and determine upcoming solutions. This could be achieved through the use of standardized forms and tools for medication reconciliation, improved communication amongst medical practitioners regarding this process, improvement in education provision on such processes, and the application of technology to streamline these mechanisms (Dang et al., 2021). When the solutions have been determined, then an Interprofessional team could develop an action plan to implement a practice change. This action plan would detail specific steps, roles, scope of work within time, and monetary constraints for implementing the project effectively.
As part of the implementation process, this interprofessional team will work closely together by holding regular meetings to assess progress and changes. All members of the team must be actively engaged in sharing their expertise and communicating effectively so that a practice change can take place.
The Interprofessional team would measure the success in terms of some key indicators, including medication discrepancies rate and patient satisfaction. The information would be compared against the baseline measures to assess whether quality healthcare services have been delivered through the change in practice. This is a practice change that requires interprofessional collaboration as it involves an open exchange of knowledge and skills among professionals with varied areas of expertise. As Advanced Practice Nurse (APN), nurses contribute significantly to Interprofessional collaboration by leading and facilitating it. APNs are also well-positioned to integrate care and facilitate teamwork among various healthcare professionals.
APNs can evaluate the research and evidence concerning medication reconciliation that would help in guiding team practice based on evidence-based practices. This also includes an ability to lobby for necessary resources, such as technology and training, that can help the realization of the practice change (Waters, 2020). Finally, the practice change is essential for improving medication reconciliation and promoting medically safe practices to enhance service safety in health facilities. Moreover, practice change is essential for improving medication reconciliation and promoting medically safe practices to enhance service safety in health facilities. In this, Interprofessional collaboration is vital in realizing a practice change to ensure medication reconciliation improvement and further lead the advancement of safety and quality healthcare services.
In conclusion, interprofessional collaboration is an essential component of enacting a practice change geared toward improving medication concordance and better safety ratio besides the quality of health care services. Through the integration of healthcare professionals from different fields and employing their specific knowledge and skills, we can efficiently manage the issue of inappropriate medication reconciliation. As APNs, our role is to lead and guide the Interprofessional teams in ensuring successful cohesion. With our leadership and advocacy, we can develop an organizational culture that allows Interprofessional collaboration to thrive for the best interest of patients.
References
Dang, D., Dearholt, S. L., Bissett, K., Ascenzi, J., & Whalen, M. (2021). Johns Hopkins evidence-based practice for nurses and healthcare professionals: Model and guidelines. Sigma Theta Tau.
Rojas-Ocaña, M. J., García-Navarro, E. B., García-Navarro, S., Macías-Colorado, M. E., Baz-Montero, S. M., & Araujo-Hernández, M. (2022). Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medication Reconciliation in Frail Elderly People at Hospital Discharge: Perception of Healthcare Professionals. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(16), 10348.
Waters, S. (2020). Nurse Champions for Medication Reconciliation: Making a Difference.