PICOT Statement
Review your problem or issue and the study materials to formulate a PICOT question for your capstone project change proposal. A PICOT question starts with a designated patient population in a particular clinical area and identifies clinical problems or issues that arise from clinical care. The intervention used to address the problem must be a nursing practice intervention. Include a comparison of the nursing intervention to a patient population not currently receiving the nursing intervention, and specify the timeframe needed to implement the change process. Formulate a PICOT question using the PICOT format (provided in the assigned readings) that addresses the clinical nursing problem.
The PICOT question will provide a framework for your capstone project change proposal.
In a paper of 500-750 words, clearly identify the clinical problem and how it can result in a positive patient outcome.
Describe the problem in the PICOT question as it relates to the following:
Evidence-based solution
Nursing intervention
Patient care
Health care agency
Nursing practice
PICOT Question
Now that you have chosen your topic for your research project, you will need to determine the path with which you will take to explore the clinical issue or problem. The PICOT question is the “blueprint” that will identify each element of your project and how you will find the measured outcome of the project. In this manner, you will build the framework of your capstone project change proposal.
The PICOT question will determine the population of which the identified clinical issue will be changed for improved patient outcomes. The initial intervention is the nursing practice change that you will introduce to your population. The comparison intervention is the current nursing practice that must be changed. The ultimate result of this change will be stated as the intended outcome of your project. The time frame of your project will be 10-weeks for our purposes as the class is only 10-weeks. {Normally you would want the first phase of a research project to be done over a 3-month time period. Then the analyzed gathered data is evaluated to determine the effectiveness of the nursing practice change. If is it effective, the change will stay in place. If it is not effective, the source of the ineffectiveness is determined, and the intervention is changed to be tested for another 3-months.}
Once your PICOT question is formulated and stated, you will discuss it in the areas below.
Evidence-based solution- look at the intended outcome. Are there references that support your outcome? Look at the 8 studies that were used in the week 2 assignment. Do any of these studies give you valuable evidence that can be related to your topic and the intended result of your project? If so, state how this study supports the topic.
Nursing intervention- the intervention is the nursing practice change that you want to implement which will improve patient care and outcomes. Explain the current nursing practice that should be changed and why it should be changed. Then state how the practice change will improve this situation.
Patient care- who is the patient population of your project? How will they be positively affected by the nursing practice change and why?
Health care agency- Describe the health care agency in which you are performing your practicum. What is the size of the facility, the type of patient’s cared for on the nursing unit and how many patients are cared for at any given time on this nursing unit.
Nursing practice- What is the current nursing practice? What is the problem that is caused by the clinical issue which you feel needs to be changed? How will the new practice change fix the practice problem?
Make your statements concise and use as few words as possible. Keep the word range in mind when you are writing your paper. Do grammar and spell check before submitting the paper.
CAPSTONE CHANGE PROJECT OBJECTIVES – No word range – Keep it to one page.
Your research project topic should be a clinical issue or problem that is taken directly from the care which is given to the individuals in the patient population. A cultural assessment that was done in week 2 with your preceptor will give you data with which you can connect your topic to your intervention. It is this connection which will lead to the list of 3 to 5 objectives for the proposed intervention.
State your population and the assessment of the patient culture on your practicum unit. Then determine how your nursing practice intervention should be created in the form of the objectives.
State the objective of the proposed intervention of your project. Then give a 1- to-2 sentence rationale for each objective.
After writing your 3-5 objectives, provide a rationale for how your proposed project and objectives advocate for autonomy and social justice for individuals and diverse populations in a clear and concise paragraph.
There is no word range count for this assignment. It is meant to prepare you for a section in your final paper on Week 8. Do a grammar and spell check prior to submitting your assignment.
PICOT Statement Paper
Hospital-acquired infections affect many patient populations, with a considerable impact on the quality of healthcare outcomes. Healthcare workers and patients hospitalized within the intensive critical care units are significantly exposed to the risk of hospital-acquired infections with a high number of mortalities across the world. According to Bezerra et al. (2020), handwashing hygiene is considered an effective strategy and approach in preventing hospital-acquired infections among healthcare workers and patients in the critical care units. Thus, the paper explores the relevance of embracing handwashing hygiene among the healthcare workers and adult patient population hospitalized in the critical care units for ten weeks.
PICOT Statement
In the adult inpatient critical care unit, what is the impact of the handwashing protocols and initiatives in reducing hospital-acquired infections among healthcare workers compared to those who fail to adopt handwashing hygiene practices for ten weeks?
The PICOT question provides an insight in assessing and evaluating the impact of adopting handwashing practice and protocols across the healthcare institution on the reported rates of hospital-acquired infections. Through the PICOT statement, it is possible to establish evidence-based practice regarding the impact of the initiative compared to a different patient population group that did not receive the intervention to make informed decisions regarding its effectiveness in the nursing practice.
Evidence-Based Solution
The PICOT question will be solved by implementing handwashing protocols and practices within the adult intensive care units for health workers and patients to reduce the prevalence of hospital-acquired infections. Healthcare institutions need to adopt appropriate handwashing hygiene and monitoring systems to enhance compliance with the protocols in realizing considerable impacts on reduced hospital-acquired infections (Haque et al., 2020). In future nursing practice, it would be critical to encouraging healthcare workers within the adult intensive care units to adopt handwashing protocols and strategies to mitigate the risk of disease transmission across the populations.
Nursing Intervention
Handwashing protocols and hygiene strategies are interventions that would be implemented to improve the nursing situation. While considering over 99,000 deaths arise due to hospital-acquired infections across the hospital-acquired infections, it is notable that handwashing hygiene practices provide a proactive approach in reducing the vulnerability of inpatient populations receiving critical care (Hessels & Larson, 2016). In determining the interventions’ effectiveness, the comparison would involve the assessment of intensive care units with normal operations with no attribution to the use of handwashing techniques.
Patient Care
The adult patient population receiving intensive care often experience immunocompromised conditions with a relatively higher risk of hospital-acquired or nosocomial infections. According to Malliarou (2017), the handwashing protocols and initiatives focus on improving sanitation practices in eliminating the potential for contaminating equipment while attending to patient populations. Handwashing hygiene practices would reduce infections among healthcare professionals and patients in intensive care units during their interactions.
Health Care Agency
The practicum will be conducted in a healthcare institution that offers adult intensive nursing care for patients with diverse complications. The comparison of the results will focus on healthcare institutions that undertake standard practices across various healthcare institutions in Greenfield city in Milwaukie in the United States.
Nursing Practice
Handwashing protocols and practices would reduce pathogenic transmission rates for patient populations and, consequently, ensure the nursing professionals improve their focus on the underlying patient conditions (Malliarou, 2017). Thus, the handwashing practice would reduce the incidences of illnesses among nursing care workers, thereby enhancing the overall patient care and health outcomes.
Conclusion
Hospital-acquired infections negatively impact nursing care and health outcomes. Adult patients in the critical care units and nurses are at greater risk of acquiring hospital-acquired infections. The practicum would focus on implementing handwashing practices for nurses and patient in the adult critical care unit while comparing them with those undertaking everyday hygiene practices over ten weeks. While considering evidence-based practice, handwashing is an important initiative for reducing nurses and patient populations’ vulnerability. As such, it is critical to assess its influence in promoting its adoption in healthcare institutions.
References
Bezerra, T. B., Valim, M. D., Bortolini, J., Ribeiro, R. P., Marcon, S. R., & Moura, M. E. (2020). Adherence to hand hygiene in critical sectors: Can we go on like this? Journal of Clinical Nursing, 29(13-14), 2691-2698. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15293
Haque, M., McKimm, J., Sartelli, M., Dhingra, S., Labricciosa, F. M., Islam, S., Jahan, D., Nusrat, T., Chowdhury, T. S., Coccolini, F., Iskandar, K., Catena, F., & Charan, J. (2020). Strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections: A narrative overview. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 13, 1765-1780. https://doi.org/10.2147/rmhp.s269315
Hessels, A., & Larson, E. (2016). Relationship between patient safety climate and standard precaution adherence: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Hospital Infection, 92(4), 349-362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2015.08.023
Malliarou, M. (2017). Hand hygiene of nurses and patient safety. International Journal of Nursing & Clinical Practices, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.15344/2394
