Assignment Task: Submit your PowerPoint presentation file for QI project and clearly summarize your course project in a creative, well-thought-out, and organized manner. Describe what you learned.
Read the 2 student response and respond to them. Critique any portion of the project. Address potential questions, concerns, or outlooks about the project's implementation, findings, research, and so on.
Discussion #1
Falls among surgical patients are common and affect patients, healthcare facilities, and the healthcare system. Around 1 to 4% of patients who have undergone surgery experience falls (Fritz et al., 2022). The reason why surgical patients are likely to fall is due to postoperative polypharmacy, poor body balance, and unfamiliarity with the perioperative environment. Falls can be severe and cause injuries and anxiety as patients become fearful of subsequent falls. They are also costly and compromise patient outcomes (Dykes et al., 2020). Considering such severe impacts, I proposed a strategy for reducing and preventing falls among surgical patients. In particular, the research focused on the Fall TIPS toolkit, which is a three-step intervention plan that emphasizes assessing risks, developing individualized interventions, and consistent execution. Risk assessment helps identify factors that may cause falls. They may include postoperative polypharmacy or poor body balance.
My research question is: In surgical patients, how does the implementation of the Fall Tailoring Interventions for Patient Safety Tool (Fall TIPS), compared to standard care impact the incidence of falls during hospital stays? Using Lewin's change theory, I proposed a practical change implementation strategy that would help integrate the Fall TIPS toolkit into clinical practice. The change will follow three steps, including unfreezing, changing, and refreezing. These simple phases will make the project's implementation smooth and manageable. The end goal is to prevent falls at Woodmont Hospital and, ultimately, deliver quality and safe care, especially for surgical patients.
Throughout the project, I realized the significance of research and evidence-based practice (EBP) in healthcare. Research brings new knowledge into practice, while EBP allows providers to make quality choices using the best available evidence. I also learned that projects have a better chance of succeeding when implemented in stages. That is to say, they are more manageable, and it becomes easier to identify issues.
References:
Dykes, P. C., Burns, Z., Adelman, J., Benneyan, J., Bogaisky, M., Carter, E., Ergai, A., Lindros, M. E., Lipsitz, S. R., Scanlan, M., Shaykevich, S., & Bates, D. W. (2020). Evaluation of a patient-centered fall-prevention tool kit to reduce falls and injuries. JAMA Network Open, 3(11), 1-10.
Fritz, B. A., King, C. R., Mehta, D., Somerville, E., Kronzer, A., Ben Abdallah, A., Wildes, T., Avidan, M. S., Lenze, E. J., Stark, S., & ENGAGES Research Group. (2022). Association of a perioperative multicomponent fall prevention intervention with falls and quality of life after elective inpatient surgical procedures. JAMA Network Open, 5(3), e221938-e221938.
Discussion #2
According to the World Health Organization (2024), sexual wellness is contingent upon access to comprehensive information about sex and sexuality and knowledge about the consequences of unprotected sexual activity. Teenage pregnancy presents many challenges that are impactful on pregnant teenagers, the unborn child, and even society. My course project was based on the PICOT question: In adolescent females, what is the effect of sexual wellness education on a reduction in the incidence of teenage pregnancy compared with no education during high school? To ensure that early and unintended childbearing does not prevent educational and career goals, comprehensive information should be presented about sexual wellness and reproductive health. I provided the participants with a pre-educational questionnaire to create a baseline for the discussion of sexual education. This questionnaire was designed to encourage the participant an opportunity to convey their knowledge, questions, comments, and concerns regarding their sexual education. There is a need to explore practical strategies for providing comprehensive sexual wellness education and access to reproductive healthcare for teenagers. Using the PDCA change theory cycle, I devised an implementation plan. Its theoretical framework supports ongoing developments and implementations of best practices and initiatives, which provides direction and structure for further work (Jarpe-Ratner & Marshall, 2021). The goal is for the young adult to have insightful discussions on promoting sexual health and offer comprehensive avenues that their relationships contribute to promoting sexual wellness.
References:
Jarpe-Ratner, E., & Marshall, B. (2021). Viewing sexual health education through the lens of critical pedagogy: A case study in Chicago public schools. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(4), 1443.
World Health Organization. (2024). Sexual health. Who.int; World Health Organization: WHO.