Assessing the Problem- Technology, Care Coordination, and Community Resources Considerations

Assessing the Problem- Technology, Care Coordination, and Community Resources Considerations

Part 1

Impact of Health Care Technology on the patient

The last two practicum hours were spent interacting with the patient, Mr. Mike, and coordinating care with a mental health specialist, dietician, physical therapist, endocrinologist, social worker, and daughter. Most of the people in the care team are not readily physically available. Therefore, we used healthcare technologies to remotely coordinate care, including telehealth services integrated with a smartwatch and a smartphone app for the patient.

Current evidence from the literature identifies both the advantages and disadvantages of the use of telehealth services combined with mHealth technologies, such as smartwatches and smartphone apps, in the management of depression and other mental health issues. From a general perspective, a major advantage of using telehealth services and mHealth technologies is improving the accessibility of depression and mental health services. For instance, research has shown that the application of telehealth services in psychiatry and in the delivery of mental healthcare increased the accessibility of such services regardless of existing geographical and transport barriers (Keuroghlian et al., 2023). Research also notes that eliminating the need to meet patients face to face or come to the hospital for care services further cuts down on related transportation costs, which impacts the overall costs of care (Gajarawala & Pelkowski, 2021). Additionally, evidence shows that telehealth services improve the delivery of remote collaborative care to mental health patients in primary care settings (Howland et al., 2021). Other technologies, such as mHealth technologies, have been found to provide various benefits in patient care, including continuous monitoring of the patient as well as acting as motivation for patients to adhere to their care plans (Sun et al., 2021).

However, despite the benefits provided by telehealth services and mHealth technologies in mental healthcare, research evidence has also identified some disadvantages and issues of concern related to these technologies. For instance, Iwaya et al. (2020) have identified major security and privacy concerns with mHealth technologies, which reduce their utilization in healthcare settings. Available literature also identifies technological barriers, including limited access to devices, internet connectivity, and digital literacy, as major barriers to the utilization and effectiveness of telehealth services (Gajarawala & Pelkowski, 2021).

The reviewed literature evidence on the use of telehealth services and mHealth technologies in the management of depression is consistent with the technology use I have experienced in my nursing practice. For instance, during the practicum hours and using telehealth services, I was able to always get in touch with the patient, whether I was in the room or away. I was also able to link and communicate with the patient with regard to their mental health even when the patient had left the facility and was at his home. Besides this, the care team was able to collaborate despite some of the members not being in the same region or location. The use of telehealth services helped create a sort of in-person presence that made it convenient to collaborate. The patient said that he will save some money since he will no longer need to come to the clinic and can access the same services at the convenience of his home. However, the patient had some difficulties understanding how to use the telehealth services. After some explanation, he was able to use the services efficiently. On the other hand, one care team member complained that using the telehealth services at home felt that a bit of their private life was being infringed.

Care Coordination and the Utilization of Community Resources to Address Depression

The practicum hours spent so far managing depression in an immigrant patient who already has diabetes proved the necessity of care coordination in a multidisciplinary care team and the need to utilize community resources. According to Karam et al. (2021), the delivery of care to patients with complex healthcare needs, such as patients with diabetes and comorbid depression, requires the full coordination of care from various healthcare providers. The benefits of care coordination and the utilization of community resources are widely presented in the available literature. First off, research shows that nurses play a crucial role in patient care coordination along the continuum, including organizing care coordination for mental health services like depression. (Swan et al., 2019). The available literature identifying the benefits of care coordination notes that care coordination results in better integration of specialty diabetes and mental health care, which greatly improves treatment outcomes, favorable patient experiences, and cost-effectiveness of the care delivered (Mohr et al., 2019). Mohr et al. (2019) further note that care coordination improved the relations between primary care providers and specialists such as diabetes specialists and mental health providers. Karam et al. (2021) also link nursing care coordination for patients with complex conditions to help meet the needs of the patient, their family, and the caregivers and improve communication between the interprofessional and interpersonal team members. On the other hand, the literature notes that the lack of sufficient care coordination results in fragmented, inconsistent, and poorly planned care that risks higher care costs, poor patient experiences, poor communication, and reduced accessibility of care (Swan et al., 2019). Furthermore, the literature identifies community resources as essential in providing social support to patients and community health workers during the management of depression and other mental and physical issues such as anxiety, pain, and opioid issues (Price-Haywood et al., 2021).

The evidence from the reviewed literature is consistent with how I have seen care coordination and community resources being used in my nursing practice and the management of depression. From nursing practice managing immigrant patients with diabetes and depression, I realized that the patient needed care from multiple healthcare professionals. These included a diabetes specialist, a mental health specialist, a social health worker, and a nurse. The care needed to be coordinated in order to ensure that the patient received the best and timely care. I noted that the care coordination efforts helped the patient accept his current condition. It also improved his health and led to him adhering to the treatment plan. It also reduced the risks of exacerbating his condition as needed care was always available. The social worker organized community resources, including access to an activity area, a social support group, and extra support for the patient to help them access social funding for his medications.

However, there are some barriers to the coordination of care and utilization of community resources in the management of depression. The major barrier is the lack of sufficient community resources accessible to immigrant populations to support mental health. Additionally, noting that the main patient is an immigrant, coordination of care may be limited due to language and cultural barriers. Additionally, there exist various barriers to access to mental health services for minority groups, such as poverty and other systemic barriers, including racism, in the allocation of resources (Lu et al., 2021).

Effects of State Board Nursing Practice Standards and Governmental Policies Associated with Health Care Technology, Care Coordination, and Community Resources

The state board nursing practice standards and governmental policies will guide how I play my role in coordinating care for the patient, utilizing healthcare technology, and utilizing community resources. For example, nursing practice standards as provided in the Nursing Practice Act, as well as governmental policies such as the HIPAA regulations, will help in ensuring that I utilize electronic devices that are authorized for use as well as manage patient and user information in a way that ensures the privacy and security of such information. The standards and policies will also guide me in utilizing technologies and community resources to benefit the patient in terms of the quality and safety of care provided, accessibility and affordability of care, and convenience in the delivery of care. The local, state, and federal policies and nursing standards will also determine my role in the care coordination team, including the determination of whether my scope of practice as set by the policies and standards allows me to act as the team’s leader, prescribe devices, as well as utilize available community resources to care for an immigrant patient.

On the other hand, nursing ethics will guide my decision in caring for the patient, including considering their autonomy and informed consent during decision-making and ensuring the patient receives quality care with minimum risks of harm. Additionally, nursing ethics will also guide me to ensure the care provided is culturally sensitive and the patient has equitable access to the best available care.

Part Two

In the last two practicum hours, I met with the patient, Mr. Mike, a mental health specialist, a dietician, a physical therapist, an endocrinologist, a social worker, and the patient’s daughter. Most of the people in the care team are not readily physically available. The review of evidence supported the practice and helped understand the benefits and barriers associated with healthcare technologies, care coordination, and the utilization of community resources. The entire care coordination and use of telehealth services has prompted me to develop related competencies, including understanding how to use telehealth services in daily practice and addressing the quality of care, patient safety, costs to the system, and individual issues associated with depression. The approach to managing depression in the patient remains unchanged.

References

Gajarawala, S. N., & Pelkowski, J. N. (2021). Telehealth Benefits and Barriers. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 17(2), 218–221. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.NURPRA.2020.09.013

Howland, M., Tennant, M., Bowen, D. J., Bauer, A. M., Fortney, J. C., Pyne, J. M., Shore, J., & Cerimele, J. M. (2021). Psychiatrist and Psychologist Experiences with Telehealth and Remote Collaborative Care in Primary Care: A Qualitative Study. The Journal of Rural Health, 37(4), 780–787. https://doi.org/10.1111/JRH.12523

Iwaya, L. H., Ahmad, A., & Ali Babar, M. (2020). Security and Privacy for mHealth and uHealth Systems: A Systematic Mapping Study. IEEE Access, 8, 150081–150112. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2020.3015962

Karam, M., Chouinard, M. C., Poitras, M. E., Couturier, Y., Vedel, I., Grgurevic, N., & Hudon, C. (2021). Nursing Care Coordination for Patients with Complex Needs in Primary Healthcare: A Scoping Review. International Journal of Integrated Care, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.5334/IJIC.5518

Keuroghlian, A. S., Marcus, P. H., Neufeld, J., Phillips, E., Grasso, C., & Wozniak, J. R. (2023). Telehealth for psychiatry and mental healthcare can improve access and patient outcomes. Nature Medicine 2023 29:11, 29(11), 2698–2700. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02579-y

Lu, W., Todhunter-Reid, A., Mitsdarffer, M. L., Muñoz-Laboy, M., Yoon, A. S., & Xu, L. (2021). Barriers and Facilitators for Mental Health Service Use Among Racial/Ethnic Minority Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Literature. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 641605. https://doi.org/10.3389/FPUBH.2021.641605/BIBTEX

Mohr, D. C., Benzer, J. K., Vimalananda, V. G., Singer, S. J., Meterko, M., McIntosh, N., Harvey, K. L. L., Seibert, M. N., & Charns, M. P. (2019). Organizational Coordination and Patient Experiences of Specialty Care Integration. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 34(1), 30–36. https://doi.org/10.1007/S11606-019-04973-0/TABLES/4

Price-Haywood, E. G., Burton, J., Harden-Barrios, J., Bazzano, A., Lefante, J., Shi, L., & Jamison, R. N. (2021). Depression, anxiety, pain and chronic opioid management in primary care: Type II effectiveness-implementation hybrid stepped wedge cluster randomized trial. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 101, 106250. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CCT.2020.106250

Sun, R. T., Han, W., Chang, H. L., & Shaw, M. J. (2021). Motivating Adherence to Exercise Plans Through a Personalized Mobile Health App: Enhanced Action Design Research Approach. JMIR MHealth UHealth, 9(6), e19941. https://doi.org/10.2196/19941

Swan, B. A., Haas, S., & Jessie, A. T. (2019). Care Coordination: Roles of Registered Nurses Across the Care Continuum. Nursing Economics, 37(6).

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

We’ll write everything from scratch

In a 5–7 page written assessment, determine how healthcare technology, coordination of care, and community resources can be applied to address the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined. In addition, plan to spend approximately 2 direct practicum hours exploring these aspects of the problem with the patient, family, or group you’ve chosen to work with and, if desired, consulting with the subject matter and industry experts. Document the time spent (your practicum hours) with these individuals or groups in the Capella Academic Portal Volunteer Experience Form. Report on your experiences during the second 2 hours of your practicum.

Assessing the Problem- Technology, Care Coordination, and Community Resources Considerations

In this assessment, you’ll determine how healthcare technology, coordination of care, and community resources can be applied to address the health problem you’ve defined. Plan to spend at least 2 direct practicum hours working with the same patient, family, or group. During this time, you may also choose to consult with subject matter and industry experts.

To prepare for the assessment:

Review the assessment instructions and scoring guide to ensure that you understand the work you will be asked to complete and how it will be assessed.
Conduct sufficient research of the scholarly and professional literature to inform your assessment and meet scholarly expectations for supporting evidence.
Review the Practicum Focus Sheet: Assessment 3 [PDF], Download Practicum Focus Sheet: Assessment 3 [PDF], which provides guidance for conducting this portion of your practicum.

Complete this assessment in two parts.

Part 1
Determine how healthcare technology, the coordination of care, and the use of community resources can be applied to address the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined. Plan to spend at least 2 practicum hours exploring these aspects of the problem with the patient, family, or group. During this time, you may also consult with subject matter and industry experts of your choice. Document the time spent (your practicum hours) with these individuals or groups in the Capella Academic Portal Volunteer Experience Form. Use the Practicum Focus Sheet: Assessment 3 [PDF] Download Practicum Focus Sheet: Assessment 3 [PDF]provided for this assessment to guide your work and interpersonal interactions.

Part 2
Report on your experiences during the second 2 hours of your practicum.

Whom did you meet with?
What did you learn from them?
Comment on the evidence-based practice (EBP) documents or websites you reviewed.
What did you learn from that review?
Share the process and experience of exploring the effect of the problem on the quality of care, patient safety, and costs to the system and individual.
Did your plan to address the problem change, based upon your experiences?
What surprised you, or was of particular interest to you, and why?

The assessment requirements, outlined below, correspond to the scoring guide 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.

Analyze the impact of healthcare technology on the patient, family, or population problem.
Cite evidence from the literature that addresses the advantages and disadvantages of specific technologies, including research studies that present opposing views.
Determine whether the evidence is consistent with the technology use you see in your nursing practice.
Identify potential barriers and costs associated with the use of specific technologies and how those technologies are applied within the context of this problem.
Explain how care coordination and the utilization of community resources can be used to address the patient, family, or population problem.
Cite evidence from the literature that addresses the benefits of care coordination and the utilization of community resources, including research studies that present opposing views.
Determine whether the evidence is consistent with how you see care coordination and community resources used in your nursing practice.
Identify barriers to the use of care coordination and community resources in the context of this problem.
Analyze state board nursing practice standards and/or organizational or governmental policies associated with health care technology, care coordination, and community resources and document the practicum hours spent with these individuals or groups in the Capella Academic Portal Volunteer Experience Form.
Explain how these standards or policies will guide your actions in applying technology, care coordination, and community resources to address care quality, patient safety, and costs to the system and individual.
Describe the effects of local, state, and federal policies or legislation on your nursing scope of practice, within the context of technology, care coordination, and community resources.
Explain how nursing ethics will inform your approach to addressing the problem through the use of applied technology, care coordination, and community resources.
Document the time spent (your practicum hours) with these individuals or groups in the Capella Academic Portal Volunteer Experience Form.
Support main points, assertions, arguments, conclusions, or recommendations with relevant and credible evidence.
Apply APA style and formatting to scholarly writing.

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.