Competing needs arise within any organization as employees seek to meet their targets and leaders seek to meet company goals. As a leader, successful management of these goals requires establishing priorities and allocating resources accordingly.

Within a healthcare setting, the needs of the workforce, resources, and patients are often in conflict. Mandatory overtime, implementation of staffing ratios, use of unlicensed assisting personnel, and employer reductions of education benefits are examples of practices that might lead to conflicting needs in practice.

Leaders can contribute to both the problem and the solution through policies, action, and inaction. In this Assignment, you will further develop the white paper you began work on in Module 1 by addressing competing needs within your organization.

 

The Assignment (4-5 pages):

Developing Organizational Policies and Practices

Identify and describe at least two competing needs impacting the nursing shortage. Describe a relevant policy or practice in your organization that may influence the nursing shortage. Critique the policy for ethical considerations, and explain the policy’s strengths and challenges in promoting ethics. Recommend one or more policy or practice changes designed to balance the competing needs of resources, workers, and patients, while addressing any ethical shortcomings of the existing policies. Be specific and provide examples. Cite evidence that informs the healthcare issue/stressor and/or the policies, and provide two scholarly resources in support of your policy or practice recommendations.

Total sources needed: 4

Pages: 4

No copying or plagiarism 

 

Write 4 pages in which you describe a nursing informatics best practices policy for effective and safe data use in a nursing practice setting or organization.

Today’s health care professionals need to be accountable for the use of information systems that are repositories for copious amounts of protected health information (PHI).

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria: Competency 2: Identify strategies and best practices for using informatics in nursing and health care. Describe the best practices needed to promote and support data security. Describe the ethical standards needed to promote patient confidentiality. Describe regulatory requirements that promote and support positive patient outcomes related to a specific population. Describe the types of behaviors and skills nurse leaders need to guide the use of information technology and research for improved patient-care outcomes. Competency 4: Communicate in a manner that is consistent with expectations of a nursing professional. Write coherently to support a central idea in appropriate format with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics.

 

Imagine an organization asks you to contribute to the development of an information system best-practices policy to help maintain patient safety and patient confidentiality in their practice setting. The organization wants you to create a document to help the group better understand why an informatics policy is needed and the practices that should be included in the policy.

A nursing informatics best-practices document can serve multiple purposes, such as a handout for new-hire orientation or as a background report given to a committee tasked with creating or updating a nursing informatics best-practices policy. Preparation

To expand your understanding of nursing informatics best practices within the industry, research the most current information about the topics of nursing best-practices documents and nursing informatics best practices.

Using the Web locate 4–6 scholarly articles related to best practices designed to support positive patient outcomes related to the following areas: The meaning of secure data practices. Ethical standards needed to promote and support data security. Patient confidentiality. Regulatory requirements. Behaviors and skills nurse leaders need to guide the use of information technology and research for improved patient-care outcomes. Directions

Create a description of a nursing informatics best-practices policy document designed to define and encourage effective and safe data use in a practice setting or organization. Purpose Statement: Statement of why an organization would create the policy. Include any reasons and intent that supports the creation of an informatics best-practices policy. Best Practices Definitions and Descriptions: Definitions of secure practices, data security, and patient confidentiality. Ethical standards. Regulatory requirements. Implementation: Behaviors – describe the behaviors nurse leaders will need to demonstrate that will guide implementation of the policy. Skills required – describe the skills needed to ensure policy adherence.

Format your document using the professional format and style (corporate identity) used in your organization or practice setting. Note: If you are not currently working in an organizational setting, follow the formatting instructions below. Additional Requirements Written communication: Ensure written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message. APA formatting: Format resources and citations according to current APA style and formatting guidelines. Number of resources: Cite a minimum of four peer-reviewed resources. Length: Submit 4 typed, double-spaced pages. Font and font size: Use Times New Roman, 12 point.

APA format

3 references (2 outside and 1 on the PDFs attached. Cite info located at the top of PDF)

Discussion: Health Assessment of Children’s Weight

Body measurements can provide a general picture of whether a child is receiving adequate nutrition or is at risk for health issues. These data, however, are just one aspect to be considered. Lifestyle, family history, and culture—among other factors—are also relevant. That said, gathering and communicating this information can be a delicate process.

For this Discussion, you will consider examples of children with various weight issues. You will explore how you could effectively gather information and encourage parents and caregivers to be proactive about their children’s health and weight.

To prepare:

• Consider the following examples of pediatric patients and their families:

o Overweight 5-year-old boy with overweight parents

o Slightly overweight 10-year-old girl with parents of normal weight

o 5-year-old girl of normal weight with obese parents

o Slightly underweight 8-year-old boy with parents of normal weight

o Severely underweight 12-year-old girl with underweight parents

• Select one of the examples on which to focus for this Discussion. What health issues and risks may be relevant to the child you selected?

• Based on the risks you identified, consider what further information you would need to gain a full understanding of the child’s health. Think about how you could gather this information in a sensitive fashion.

• Consider how you could encourage parents or caregivers to be proactive toward the child’s health.

By Day 3

Post an explanation of the health issues and risks that are relevant to the child you selected. Describe additional information you would need in order to further assess his or her weight-related health. Taking into account the parents’ and caregivers’ potential sensitivities, list at least three specific questions you would ask about the child to gather more information. Provide at least two strategies you could employ to encourage the parents or caregivers to be proactive about their child’s health and weight.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.

Week 3: Growth, Measurement, and Nutrition

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rate of childhood obesity has tripled in the past 30 years, with an estimated 12.5 million children considered obese (CDC, 2012). When seeking insights about a patient’s overall health and nutritional state, body measurements can provide a valuable perspective. This is particularly important with pediatric patients. Measurements such as height and weight can provide clues to potential health problems and help predict how children will respond to illness. Nurses need to be proficient at using assessment tools such as the Body Mass Index (BMI) and growth charts in order to assess nutrition-related health risks and pediatric development while being sensitive to other factors that may affect these measures.

This week, you will examine assessment techniques, health risks and concerns, and recommendations for care related to patient growth, weight, and nutrition.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Assess weight-related health risks for pediatric patients

• Design effective strategies for communicating with parents or caregivers about children’s weight-related health

• Apply concepts, theories, and principles relating to health assessment techniques and considerations related to growth, measurement, and nutrition

• Apply assessment skills to collect patient health histories*

*The Assignment related to this Learning Objective is introduced this week and submitted in Week 4.

Learning Resources

Required Readings

Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Ball, J. W., Dains, J. E., Flynn, J. A., Solomon, B. S., & Stewart, R. W. (2015). Seidel’s guide to physical examination (8th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.

• Chapter 6, “Growth and Measurement” (pp. 79-94)

 

In this chapter, the authors explain examinations for growth, gestational age, and pubertal development. The authors also differentiate growth amongst the organ systems.

 

• Chapter 7, “Nutrition” (pp. 95-113)

 

This chapter focuses on how nutrition affects growth, development, and health maintenance. The authors also provide guidelines for assessing nutrient intake.

 

• Review of Chapter 26, “Recording Information” (pp. 616-631)

 

This chapter provides rationale and methods for maintaining clear and accurate records. The text also explores the legal aspects of patient records.

Sullivan, D. D. (2012). Guide to clinical documentation (2nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F. A. Davis.

• Chapter 3, “Adult Preventative Care Visits” (pp. 37–64)

 

• Chapter 4, “Pediatric Preventative Care Visits” (pp. 65–90)

Seidel, H. M., Ball, J. W., Dains, J. E., Flynn, J. A., Solomon, B. S., & Stewart, R. W. (2011).History subjective data checklist. In Mosby’s guide to physical examination (7th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby. (PDF)

 

This History Subjective Data Checklist was published as a companion to Seidel’s guide to physical examination (8th ed.), by Ball, J. W., Dains, J. E., & Flynn, J. A. Copyright Elsevier (2015). From https://evolve.elsevier.com/

Gibbs, H., & Chapman-Novakofski, K. (2012). Exploring nutrition literacy: Attention to assessment and the skills clients need. Health, 4(3), 120–124.

Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

 

This study explores nutrition literacy. The authors examine the level of attention paid to health literacy among nutrition professionals, and the skills and knowledge needed to understand nutrition education.

Martin, B. C., Dalton, W. T., Williams, S. L., Slawson, D. L., Dunn, M. S., & Johns-Wommack, R. (2014). Weight status misperception as related to selected health risk behaviors among middle school students. Journal of School Health, 84(2), 116–123. doi:10.1111/josh.12128 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Childhood overweight and obesity.

Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/

 

This website provides information about overweight and obese children. Additionally, the website provides basic facts about obesity and strategies to counteracting obesity.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). Clinical growth charts.

Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/clinical_charts.htm

 

This website provides basic information on clinical growth charts. The website also supplies clinical growth charts for up to age 20.

Optional Resources

LeBlond, R. F., Brown, D. D., & DeGowin, R. L. (2014). DeGowin’s diagnostic examination(10th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill Medical.

• Chapter 4, “Vital Signs, Anthropometric Data, and Pain” (pp. 51–87)

 

This chapter explores vital signs, temperature, pulse, respirations, and blood pressure. In addition, the authors discuss body size measurements and pain assessment.

Ms Nancy Huang is a 29 year old university student undertaking her honour’s year in physics.  Nancy was diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic three years ago.  She normally manages her diabetes reasonably well. She made a number of lifestyle changes and uses regular insulin therapy.   Nancy has been very stressed, as she has not been able to finish her thesis on time due to having to recently return to China unexpectedly to attend a family funeral.  Since returning to Australia a few days ago, she has seen her GP, as she was unwell. She was diagnosed with a viral chest infection that was managed conservatively. She subsequently fell further behind in her studies.  Nancy decided to pull a few ‘all-nighters’ to get her thesis finished and consumed excessive amounts of coffee and soft drinks in order to stay awake to get finished.  The next day her husband noticed Nancy was particularly irritable and becoming emotional. She explained that she could not concentrate enough to finish her thesis.  Nancy was insisting on being driven to the university to speak to her lecturer.  On the drive in, they had to stop 4 times for Nancy to use the bathroom.  She became even more irritable and her husband decided to call an ambulance once they arrived at the university. After assessment by the paramedics, Nancy was transported to hospital.

You undertake additional assessments to gather new information, recording the following new data:  Vital signs:  BP: 90/50 Pulse: 120 bpm RR: 20, coarse air entry, moist productive cough Sp02: 94% Temp: 37.9 ° C Other data: BGL: 24 mmol/L GCS: 13 (confused) Poor skin turgor Frequent urination Urinalysis: glycosuria, specific gravity 1.000, no ketones present Abdomen soft, no rebound tenderness. Bowel sounds present. Patient irritable and agitated. Speaking in a confused mixture of English and Mandarin. Husband in attendance

Log book: Ms Huang’s husband gives you a logbook that Nancy has been provided with by her endocrinologist. It shows that Nancy has been diligently recording her blood glucose levels and insulin regime for several months. You note there are no entries for the last few days.