Population Health Problem: Leadership, Collaboration, Communication, Change Management, and Policy Considerations Essay

Population Health Problem: Leadership, Collaboration, Communication, Change Management, and Policy Considerations Essay

Population Health Problem: Leadership, Collaboration, Communication, Change Management, and Policy Considerations Essay

Health populations, families and individuals are often faced with different health problems that call for the attention of healthcare providers. Nurses are at the frontline in identifying these problems, assessing them from different perspectives, and developing or proposing interventions to address the problem and lead to positive patient, family, or population outcomes. Additionally, assessing health problems and possible interventions helps the care providers to waste time on interventions that are not feasible. This paper aims to identify a population health problem relevant to my practice, analyze evidence guiding nursing actions in relation to the population health problem, explore how nursing practice standards would affect the problem, and propose leadership, collaboration, and change management strategies.

Population Health Problem Definition

The population health problem relevant to my practice which will be the focus of this project, is cancer among African Americans. Cancer is a group of conditions characterized by the uncontrollable proliferation of abnormal cells with the potential to infiltrate and destroy normal body tissue. The conditions can spread throughout the body, affecting other body parts and coming along with other symptoms. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, n.d.), cancer is the second leading cause of death in the US, even though many cancers can be prevented or diagnosed early and thus treated. The most common cancer types in the US include breast, lung, prostate, and colorectal cancers, contributing to about 50% of all cancer-related deaths (National Cancer Institute, n.d.).

The patient group I intend to work with in this practicum project is African American. The group will entail both males and females diagnosed with different cancer types. They will be from all age groups, but a greater focus will be on patients from 18-65 years. Research shows that cancer is one of the major health problems among African Americans (Giaquinto et al., 2022). In addition, Desantis et al. (2019) note that African Americans are the ethnic group with the leading cancer cases. The population group bears a disproportionate disease burden and often faces greater obstacles in cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and survival. The problem affects individuals and their families by increasing costs, negative economic impacts, and poor quality of life. Therefore, this is a serious problem for the target population.

The cancer problem among African Americans is relevant to my practice as a baccalaureate-prepared nurse. One of the areas whereby we have been prepared to practice in is oncology nursing. Thus, it is vital to be prepared in oncology care. Additionally, cancer is one of the most prevalent conditions, thus requiring nursing services to a large extent. Therefore, working with a cancer-related problem will help sharpen my nursing skills and provide an opportunity for further exploration.

Analysis of Evidence Guiding Nursing Actions Related to Cancer among African Americans

There are different nursing actions and interventions that are used by nurses to care for cancer patients. Challinor et al. (2020) note that nursing actions in cancer care are often guided by research evidence, thus ensuring that patients get the best available care throughout their cancer journey. According to Young et al. (2020), the nursing actions related to cancer care include patient assessment and education, symptoms management, and pain management. Challinor et al. (2020) also note that nurses provide emotional support to cancer patients and their families,, improve diagnosis acceptance by enhancing body image and self-esteem, and improve nutrition. These actions are meant to assist the patient throughout the journey and contribute to better patient outcomes. Research evidence is consistent with the current nursing actions in practice. Nurses are taking up different cancer care roles, responsibilities and interventions in the cancer care continuum. Additionally, they are working with other healthcare providers in the interdisciplinary team to tackle the increasing cancer burden, as is recommended in the literature evidence. I would know if data is unreliable if it is not verifiable, not from credible sources, is inconsistent, and is biased. The sources used in this analysis are reliable since they are peer-reviewed, from credible sources, and include unbiased studies.

However, barriers exist in implementing evidence-based practice to address cancer among African americans. Challinor et al. (2020) note that despite the rich research and clinical evidence in oncology nursing, the evidence is not fully implemented. Research shows that some barriers to implementing oncology practice in cancer care include staff shortages, inadequate support and finances, and inadequate training/knowledge and skills (Pitsillidou et al., 2021). Furthermore, research shows that nursing standards have effectively improved patient outcomes for African Americans with cancer. Touminen et al. (2019) state that nurses apply nursing standards, such as professionalism, practice scope and ethics, in interventions to address the cancer burden. These interventions have tested effective in addressing cancer by promoting prevention and supporting treatment and survival.

Additionally, nurses play a significant role in policymaking to improve outcomes, prevent illness and reduce hospital readmissions. According to Touminen et al. (2019), nurses act as patient advocates and represent them in policymaking initiatives. They also present  patients’ best interests and ideas to improve patient care policies. More so, nurses undertake health promotion interventions to increase awareness of a condition, its prevention, risk factors and management, thus preventing illness. They also provide nursing care services and patient education to the best of their skills and knowledge. Hence, patients can adhere to treatment and avoid disease complications, thus reducing hospital readmissions

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

The nursing theory that will frame and guide my actions throughout my practicum is the Health Promotion Model by Pender. According to Sabooteh et al. (2021), the health promotion model stipulates that health promotion behavior is propagated by an individual’s interaction with their interpersonal and physical environments. In addition, individuals actively initiate and maintain health-promotion behavior, and health promotion mainly aims at improving patient well-being. Since cancer is a lifestyle-influenced condition, the health promotion intervention developed in this project will aim at initiating and maintaining health promotion behavior among cancer patients.

State Board NursinStandards’ Impact on Cancer Among African Americans

State board nursing standards impact cancer care among African Americans. Paterson et al. (2020) note that different state boards have developed nursing practice standards that guide nursing actions and interventions. These standards include the scope of practice that all nurses in the state are expected to use. For instance, the state board of nursing in a particular state may restrict nurse practitioners from practising independently. In such a state, the recommended intervention, in this case, would be done under the supervision of a physician.

Additionally, local, state and federal policies related to the nursing scope of practice may promote or limit the scope of practice in that nurses cannot facilitate health promotion interventions. However, these policies and regulations can also support nursing interventions aimed at addressing the cancer issue. In this case, as a nurse practitioner, I will have to work under the supervision of a physician in implementing the intervention, thus ensuring I stay in line with my scope of practice.

Leadership Strategies to Improve Outcomes, Patient-Centered Care, and the Patient Experience Related to Cancer Among African Americans

Leadership Strategies

Cummings et al. (2021) state leadership is crucial in addressing population health problems across different healthcare settings. The leadership strategies that would effectively address the issue of cancer among the African American population include clear vision and goal setting, effective communication, and shared decision-making. A clear vision and goal setting would help identify the population members who need the health promotion intervention most and develop it according to their needs. Effective communication helps different stakeholders in cancer care to work together towards addressing a health problem (Cummings et al., 2021). Additionally, shared decision-making ensures all stakeholder needs and insights are incorporated into an intervention. Leadership’s role in addressing the problem includes resource mobilization, policy development and strengthening proposed interventions.

Collaboration and Communication Strategies

Collaboration and communication are some of the strategies facilitating nursing care and improving patient outcomes. Collaboration in nursing refers to the process whereby care providers work as a team to enhance comprehensive care provision. Cancer care requires the collaboration of an interprofessional team, which includes oncologists, nurses, physicians, social workers, and community health workers. The collaboration strategies that this team would use to address the problem among African Americans include open and transparent communication, shared decision-making, and role clarity. Campbell et al. (2020) note that having open communication, sharing decisions, and clarifying roles helps a team work together effectively, promoting better outcomes. Communication is also vital in addressing the cancer issue. The communication strategies that would be applied to address the issue include using the correct communication channels for each stakeholder and accepting feedback. Additionally, communication would ensure that all stakeholders are on the same page, thus promoting the success of interventions that address the issue.

Change Management Strategies

Change management entails preparing and supporting individuals or members of an organization in the change process. Change management strategies are required to address the problem to ensure that the stakeholders will embrace and maintain the new status. The change management strategies for addressing this problem include assessing change readiness, dealing with change resistance, and identifying change champions. These strategies will help promote acceptance of change and enable stakeholders to emrace related changes.

Conclusion

Cancer is a major health problem affecting the African American population. The issue will be the focus of the practicum. The literature analyzed above has justified the problem and provided a basis for continuing the practicum project. The analysis identified a nursing theoretical framework, nursing practice standards, and the role of nurses in improving outcomes, preventing illness, and reducing hospital readmissions in relation to cancer in the identified population. Leadership, collaboration, communication, and change management strategies are crucial in addressing the problem.

References

Campbell, A. R., Layne, D., Scott, E., & Wei, H. (2020). Interventions to promote teamwork, delegation and communication among registered nurses and nursing assistants: An integrative review. Journal of Nursing Management, 28(7), 1465-1472. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13083

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (n.d.). About Cancer. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/factsheets/cancer.htm

Challinor, J. M., Alqudimat, M. R., Teixeira, T. O., & Oldenmenger, W. H. (2020). Oncology nursing workforce: challenges, solutions, and future strategies. The Lancet Oncology, 21(12), e564-e574. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(20)30605-7

Cummings, G. G., Lee, S., Tate, K., Penconek, T., Micaroni, S. P., Paananen, T., & Chatterjee, G. E. (2021). The essentials of nursing leadership: A systematic review of factors and educational interventions influencing nursing leadership. International journal of nursing studies, 115, 103842. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103842

DeSantis, C. E., Miller, K. D., Goding Sauer, A., Jemal, A., & Siegel, R. L. (2019). Cancer statistics for african americans, 2019. CA: a cancer journal for clinicians, 69(3), 211-233. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21555

Giaquinto, A. N., Miller, K. D., Tossas, K. Y., Winn, R. A., Jemal, A., & Siegel, R. L. (2022). Cancer statistics for African American/black people 2022. CA: a cancer journal for clinicians, 72(3), 202-229. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21718

National Cancer Institute (n.d.). Cancer Statistics Facts. Retrieved from  https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/common.html

Paterson, C., Gobel, B., Gosselin, T., Haylock, P. J., Papadopoulou, C., Slusser, K., Rodriguez, A., & Pituskin, E. (2020). Oncology Nursing During a Pandemic: Critical Reflections in the Context of COVID-19. Seminars in oncology nursing, 36(3), 151028. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soncn.2020.151028

Pitsillidou, M., Roupa, Z., Farmakas, A., & Noula, M. (2021). Factors Affecting the Application and Implementation of Evidence-based Practice in Nursing. Acta informatica medica : AIM : journal of the Society for Medical Informatics of Bosnia & Herzegovina : casopis Drustva za medicinsku informatiku BiH, 29(4), 281–287. https://doi.org/10.5455/aim.2021.29.281-287

Sabooteh, S., Feizi, A., Shekarchizadeh, P., Shahnazi, H., & Mostafavi, F. (2021). Designing and evaluation of E-health educational intervention on students’ physical activity: an application of Pender’s health promotion model. BMC public health, 21(1), 657. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10641-y

Tuominen, L., Stolt, M., Meretoja, R., & Leino‐Kilpi, H. (2019). Effectiveness of nursing interventions among patients with cancer: an overview of systematic reviews. Journal of clinical nursing, 28(13-14), 2401-2419. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.14762

Young, A. M., Charalambous, A., Owen, R. I., Njodzeka, B., Oldenmenger, W. H., Alqudimat, M. R., & So, W. K. (2020). Essential oncology nursing care along the cancer continuum. The Lancet Oncology, 21(12), e555-e563. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(20)30612-4

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

Introduction

Nurses in all professional roles work to effect positive patient outcomes and improve organizational processes. Professional nurses are leaders in problem identification, planning, and strategy implementation—skills that directly affect patient care or organizational effectiveness.

Too often, change agents jump to a conclusion that an intervention will promote the envisioned improvement. Instead, the ideal approach is to determine which interventions are appropriate based on an assessment and review of credible evidence. Interventions could be patient-facing or involve a change in policy and process. In this assignment, you’ll identify and make the case for your practicum focus area, then explore it in depth from a leadership, collaboration, communication, change management, and policy perspective.

This assignment lays the foundation for the work that will carry you through your capstone experience and guide the practicum hours needed to complete the work in this course. In addition, it will enable you to do the following:

Develop a problem statement for a patient, family, or population that’s relevant to your practice.

Begin building a body of evidence that will inform your approach to your practicum.

Focus on the influence of leadership, collaboration, communication, change management, and policy on the problem.

Instructions

Complete this assignment in two parts.

The BSN Capstone Course (NURS4900) requires the completion and documentation of nine practicum hours. All hours must be recorded in the Capella Academic Portal. Please review the BSN Practicum Campus page for more information and instructions on how to log your hours.

Part 1

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 and establish your evidence and research base to plan, implement, and share findings related to your project.

Part 2

Connect with the patient, family, or group you’ll work with during your practicum. During this portion of your practicum, plan to spend at least two hours meeting with the patient, family, or group and, if desired, consulting with subject matter and industry experts of your choice. The hours you spend meeting with them should take place outside of regular work hours. Document the time spent (your practicum hours) with these individuals or group in the NURS4900 Volunteer Experience Form in Capella Academic Portal. Use the Practicum Focus Sheet [PDF] Download Practicum Focus Sheet [PDF]provided for this assignment to guide your work and interpersonal interactions.

Capella Academic Portal

Complete the NURS4900 Volunteer Experience Form in Capella Academic Portal. Include a description of your relationship to the patient, family, or group in the Volunteer Experience comments field.

The BSN Capstone Course ( NURS4900) requires the completion and documentation of nine (9) practicum hours. All hours must be recorded in the Capella Academic Portal. Please review the BSN Practicum Campus page for more information and instructions on how to log your hours.

Requirements

The assignment requirements outlined below correspond to the grading criteria, so be sure to address each main point. Read the performance-level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed. In addition, note the additional requirements for document format and length and for supporting evidence.

Define a patient, family, or population health problem that’s relevant to your practice.

Summarize the problem you’ll explore.

Identify the patient, family, or group you intend to work with during your practicum.

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.

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.

Note whether the authors provide supporting evidence from the literature that’s consistent with what you see in your nursing practice.

Explain how you would know if the data are unreliable.

Describe what the literature says about barriers to the implementation of evidence-based practice in addressing the problem you’ve defined.

Describe research that has tested the effectiveness of nursing standards and/or policies in improving patient, family, or population outcomes for this problem.

Describe current literature on the role of nurses in policymaking to improve outcomes, prevent illness, and reduce hospital readmissions.

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.

Describe research that has tested the effectiveness of these standards and/or policies in improving patient, family, or population outcomes for this problem.

Describe current literature on the role of nurses in policymaking to improve outcomes, prevent illness, and reduce hospital readmissions.

Describe the effects of local, state, and federal policies or legislation on your nursing scope of practice, within the context of this problem.

Propose leadership strategies to improve outcomes, patient-centered care, and the patient experience related to the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined.

Discuss research on the effectiveness of leadership strategies.

Define the role that you anticipate leadership must play in addressing the problem.

Describe collaboration and communication strategies that you anticipate will be needed to address the problem.

Describe the change management strategies that you anticipate will be required to address the problem.

Document the time spent (your practicum hours) with these individuals or group in the NURS4900 Volunteer Experience Form.

Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions.

Apply APA style and formatting to scholarly writing.

Additional Requirements

Format: Format your paper using APA style. APA Style Paper Tutorial [DOCX]Links to an external site. is provided to help you in writing and formatting your paper. Be sure to include the following:

A title page and reference page. An abstract is not required.

Appropriate section headings.

Length: Your paper should be approximately 5–7 pages in length, not including the reference page.

Supporting evidence: Cite at least five sources of scholarly or professional evidence that support your central ideas. Resources should be no more than five years old. Provide in-text citations and references in APA format.

Proofreading: Proofread your paper, before you submit it, to minimize errors that could distract readers and make it difficult for them to focus on its substance.

Competencies Measured

By successfully completing this assignment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and grading criteria:

Competency 1: Lead people and processes to improve patient, systems, and population outcomes.

Define a patient, family, or population health problem that’s relevant to personal and professional practice.

Competency 2: Make clinical and operational decisions based upon the best available evidence.

Analyze evidence from peer-reviewed literature and professional sources that describes and guides nursing actions related to a defined patient, family, or population problem.

Competency 5: Analyze the impact of health policy on quality and cost of care.

Explain how state board nursing practice standards and/or organizational or governmental policies could affect a defined patient, family, or population problem.

Competency 7: Implement patient-centered care to improve quality of care and the patient experience.

Propose leadership strategies to improve outcomes, patient-centered care, and the patient experience related to the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined, and document the time spent (practicum hours) with these individuals or group in the NURS4900 Volunteer Experience Form.

Competency 8: Integrate professional standards and values into practice.

Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions.

Apply APA style and formatting to scholarly writing.