#1

 

Effective communication is essential in the field of nursing. Establishing a strong rapport between nurses and patients is important for delivering high-quality care. In healthcare environments, communication facilitates interaction between providers and patients. Proficient communication enables healthcare professionals to earn the trust of their patients. When there are obstacles to communication, it can adversely impact the quality of care provided (Abdulla et al., 2022). Often, I witness nurses or providers relying on family members or friends of patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) rather than providing language translation services available on hospital i-mobiles.

In the first step of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP), clinical questions are framed using a specific structure known as PICOT, which stands for Patient population, Intervention or issue of concern, Comparison intervention or group, Outcome, and Time frame (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2023). This structure aids in developing a search strategy that produces the most pertinent and highest-quality evidence from the literature available. 

• P (Patient/Population): Hospitalized patients with limited English proficiency
• I (Intervention): Using a professional medical interpreter
• C (Comparison): Relying on family members as interpreters
• O (Outcome): Improved patient understanding of discharge instructions
• T (Timeframe): Within 24 hours of discharge

Among hospitalized patients with limited English proficiency, does utilizing a professional medical interpreter compared to relying on family members affect patient understanding of instructions upon discharge from the hospital?

#2

 

My nurse-driven topic is “How Can We Reduce The Spread of Hospital Acquired Infections as Healthcare Professionals?”

PICOT Question:

In hospitalized patients (P), how does the implementation of a supervised and regulated hand hygiene program (I)compare to standard hand hygiene practices (C) impact the occurrence of hospital-acquired infections (O) within six months (T)?

Why it may be a nursing problem even though other healthcare professionals interact with hospital patients:

It is because nursing staff play a crucial role in direct patient care, and we are often the first line of defense against when it comes to our patients and the spread of infections in our patients. However, barriers like high patient-to-nurse ratios, time allowance between patients, staffing issues, low supplies, and inconsistent hand hygiene protocols have been proven to decrease the spread of infections.  So, on the contrary, it increases the risk of HAIs. Nursing roles and responsibilities include infection prevention measures, such as hand hygiene, taking care of catheters, wound care, and consistently monitoring patients for early signs of infection. If we do not perform these measures consistently or effectively, the risk of HAIs increases, negatively impacting patient safety, and rising healthcare costs for both the hospital and the patient.  Addressing HAIs through improved nursing practices ensures better patient outcomes and supports the overall quality of care in healthcare settings.

• Focusing on women’s health:
  • Name and describe the components and rationale of the gynecological health history.
  • Define and describe each component of the GTPAL system used to document pregnancy history.
• Following the guidelines of the United States Preventive Service Taskforce (USPSTF) what screening recommendations would you do to G.R. a 66-year-old female patient who visits you at the office for the first time (last visit to her PCP 5 years ago) with only positive health history of hysterectomy 10 years ago due to fibroids.
• A 35-year-old women with a BMI of 40 comes in asking about combined hormonal contraception’s. You explain the contraindications for hormonal contraception include (name more than 4 contraindications).

Calvin is a 36-year-old lawyer who is coming in today for a worsening cough over the past four days. He has had some yellow sputum sporadically throughout the day; he says he has felt hot but has not taken his temperature. He has a history of asthma and has been using his Proventil inhaler every 2 to 3 hours for the past 3 to 4 days. He has no other medication. He says that other than the cough, he feels a little fatigued, and he notices that his energy level is less when he plays hockey with his men’s league twice a week.  His SaO2 is 96%, HR 102, and BP 144/82. He has bilateral wheezes posteriorly on inspiration, worse at the base.

1. Select and review five research articles related to the practice issue and proposed intervention of your PICOT question from your Week 2 assignment. These articles may include quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods studies (original research), systematic reviews, meta-analyses, or meta-syntheses (synthesis), or clinical practice guidelines (CPGs).  
2. Complete one table for each selected article. 
3. Follow APA grammar, spelling, word usage, and punctuation rules consistent with formal, scholarly writing. 

Include the following sections (detailed criteria listed below and in the grading rubric). 

1. State the PICOT statement from your Week 2 assignment, including:  
   1. Population (P)
   2. Intervention (I)
   3. Comparison (C)
   4. Outcome (O)
   5. Timeframe (T)
   6. Use standard PICOT format and label each element 
2. For each article, identify the information as appropriate for the type of article selected
   1. Full APA reference and Chamberlain Library permalink  
   2. Purpose
   3. Methods
   4. Search strategy
   5. Sample and participants
   6. Discussion of inclusion criteria
   7. Findings
   8. Limitations
   9. Relevance to the identified practice issue or proposed intervention
3. Ensure each article meets the following:
   1. Article is published in a peer-reviewed nursing journal
   2. Publication date is current within five years