Evaluation Plan Design

The intervention aims to reduce the wait time in a pediatric setting to increase client satisfaction. Research has shown that long wait times are linked to high dissatisfaction rates and other adverse effects like negative perceptions towards healthcare services. This might lead to individuals failing to seek medication or opt for other hospitals. Furthermore, long wait times can heighten mortality rates. The intervention plan will help improve the quality, safety and care experience by reducing hospital wait time.

An evaluation plan describes how to be monitored and evaluated to make and enhance decision-making (CDC,2020). The program’s success will be based on a reduction in the time spent before seeing a paediatrician. Longer wait times are usually caused by slow check-in, overscheduling and supply and demand (where the ratio of caregivers to patients is low), among others (Oche & Adamu, 2013). To measure and evaluate the degree to which the long waiting times will have reduced, Big Data will be used to determine the average wait times, the length of the queues and customer arrivals. The information obtained will help determine whether the intervention will work. Using questionnaires or online surveys that clients can fill out after being served with questions regarding their waiting or queueing experience will also be essential. To fully evaluate the outcome, the clients will be asked to approximate the time they spent waiting in line before seeing a physician. It is assumed that the clients will be truthful and can make near-accurate approximations that are not based on feelings of frustration or being content with the amount of time spent in queues or waiting lines.

The check-in device or self-service kiosk will also generate data on each client’s time waiting to see the physician. This data will then be evaluated, and an average time will be approximated to determine the effectiveness of the electronic check-in device in lessening the waiting time. To aid in the data collection the electronic check-in device will help in the data collection. Big Data will also be beneficial in providing information on the time clients spend waiting for the paediatrician. Google surveys or emails will also help in the collection of data. To analyze the data, it will be essential to use statistical tools such as SPSS. Big data analytics can also be conducted to investigate the relevant data and obtain information on the length of waiting time and queues in the clinic. Using the evaluation plan, it will be possible to examine the impact of the intervention plan, and this will determine whether improvements will have to be made to record better results.

Discussion

Advocacy

Nurses lead innovation developments in health policies by applying nursing knowledge to advocate for the nursing profession, consumers and patients. Nurses are considered the best sources of awareness and expertise for patients, communities and families and, therefore, need to speak up and participate actively in any changes made in an organization (Altman, Butler & Shem, 2016). Given the role nurses play, they act as the glue that holds or connects patients with other healthcare practitioners. Nurses are also better positioned to understand the problems and concerns of people and the community. Hence, their involvement in decision-making and leading change is significant.

Leading through change requires transparency about everything happening and what is to come, precise ongoing clarity of expectations and honest, open communication involving all caregivers. Nurses can help drive improvements in the experience and quality of care by facilitating open and honest communication in interprofessional teams and professional practice. Through such open communication, it will be possible to identify problems that must be addressed and continuously collaborate and communicate to deal with the situation. Interprofessional collaboration can be strengthened through shared leadership and reflective practice (Willcox et al., 2018). This will help individuals to collaborate to drive significant improvements in the experience and quality of care.

The intervention plan proposed in this project will have some minor impacts on the profession and role of nurses. Check-in devices can help improve and streamline workflow and staffing. The device will help eliminate problems with overscheduling, which might be overwhelming for caregivers. The time that nurses can spend with patients is therefore increased. Providing sufficient and quality care to patients is essential for most nurses. Therefore, when the workload and waiting time are streamlined, nurses can find satisfaction in giving satisfactory care. Long queues are also usually overwhelming for nurses.

In most cases, Khankeh et al. (2013) claim that nurses are the first health staff to admit patients to diagnose their problems and offer administrative emergency care. Nurses desire to provide quality and patient-centred care to patients, and when there is overcrowding and long queues, it is impossible to perform this role effectively. This causes dissatisfaction among the nurses as well as the patients and also jeopardizes the lives of patients. Using a check-in device can help lessen this dissatisfaction as nurses will be able to play their role more effectively.

The intervention will also improve interprofessional collaboration. When the client becomes healthcare practitioners’ primary aim, interprofessional teams can work collaboratively to ensure this aim is fulfilled. In this case, children’s health is in jeopardy when the long queues and long waiting times go unaddressed. By developing an intervention that could help improve health outcomes for these children, collaboration is expected among the caregivers. The intervention plan will also help enhance on-time treatment, reduce treatment costs, lessen hospitalization time intervals and save hospital resources.

Future Steps

The current intervention plan aims to reduce pediatric patient waiting time to increase patient satisfaction. This plan can be revised to make it easier for individuals with low literacy levels to be able to make use of it. Most people using the general outpatient clinics are from low-income backgrounds with low literacy levels. Revising the project for far-reaching impacts would be essential to make it more user-friendly.

The intervention plan can take advantage of emerging technology, such as machine learning, which has been linked with more significant benefits on waiting time. Machine learning can’t wait time, and thiwhichlp in finding ways of dealing with long queues. Kuo et al. (2020) claim that machine-learning models are more effective than linear regression models in predicting patient waiting time. Accurate prediction of waiting time through machine learning can help hospitals manage their resources in anticipation of probable overcrowding situations in an efficient manner, and patients can also make informed decisions in waiting or even seeking medical services elsewhere. Revisions can also be made on scheduling and early booking when queues are predicted to be longer.

The intervention plan can also take advantage of emerging care models, such as the performance-based payment models or pay-for-performance, which require coordinated care and help improve the quality and productivity of treatment. With more time spent on clients, the quality of care is expected to be enhanced together with patient satisfaction.

Reflection on Leading Change and Improvement

My work on the capstone project has majorly impacted my ability to lead change in my current care setting and personal practice. I work in a pediatric hospital, and since the project focused on this setting, I am better positioned to lead any innovations and changes. I have learnt the importance of teamwork and collaboration during change management. I have also known the importance of involving members in the decision to lessen resistance and improve commitment to ensure the success of the anticipated changes. My work will also help me in any future leadership positions that I might have. It will help me gain critical skills like emotional intelligence and shared leadership, facilitating my understanding of other people in the course of change.

The work I have undertaken can be practically transferred into my current workplace and care setting by using the suggested intervention to help lessen the long queues and waiting times that I observe in my place of work. It can also help inform on change practices like successful leadership, teamwork and collaboration in facilitating organizational changes. The good thing is that issues with long waiting times often affect most industries like banking. Therefore, the intervention can also be used in such a setting to lessen customer frustrations and dissatisfaction. Other locations can borrow some leadership styles, like shared and transformational leadership, essential for successful change management.

References

Altman, S. H., Butler, A. S., Shern, L., & National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2016). Collaborating and leading in care delivery and redesign. In Assessing Progress on the Institute of Medicine Report The Future of Nursing. National Academies Press (US).

Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Developing an Effective Evaluation Plan. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/downloads/cdc-evaluation-workbook-508.pdf

Khankeh, H. R., Khorasani-Zavareh, D., Azizi-Naghdloo, F., Hoseini, M. A., & Rahgozar, M. (2013). Triage effect on the wait time of receiving treatment services and patient satisfaction in the emergency department: Example from Iran. Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research, 18(1), 79.

Kuo, Y. H., Chan, N. B., Leung, J. M., Meng, H., So, A. M. C., Tsoi, K. K., & Graham, C. A. (2020). An integrated approach of machine learning and systems thinking for waiting time prediction in an emergency department. International journal of medical informatics, 139, 104143.

Oche, M. O., & Adamu, H. (2013). Determinants of patient waiting time in the general outpatient department of a tertiary health institution in North Western Nigeria. Annals of medical and health sciences research, 3(4), 588-592.

Willcox, A., Sutherland Boal, A., de Padua, A., Balaski, B., Ens, B., Toye, C. R., … & Harris, Y. (2018). Leadership and influencing change in nursing. University of Regina Press.

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Part 1: Evaluation of Plan

• Define the outcomes that are the goal of an intervention plan.
• Create an evaluation plan to determine the impact of an intervention for health promotion, quality improvement, prevention, education, or management needs.

Part 2: Discussion

Advocacy

• Analyze the nurse’s role in leading change and driving improvements in the quality and experience of care.
• Explain how the intervention plan affects nursing and interprofessional collaboration and how the healthcare field gains from the program.

Future Steps

• Explain how the current project could be improved to create a more significant impact on the target population and take advantage of emerging technology and care models to improve outcomes and safety.

Reflection on Leading Change and Improvement

• Reflect on how the project has impacted your ability to lead change in personal practice and future leadership positions.
• Reflect on how the completed intervention, implementation, and evaluation plans can be transferred into your practice to drive quality improvement in other contexts.

Address Generally Throughout

• Integrate resources from diverse sources that illustrate support for all aspects of an evaluation plan for an intervention, as well as for professional discussion about the project.
• Communicate the evaluation plan and project discussion professionally, which helps the audience understand how the outcomes will be evaluated and what was learned through the project process.

Additional Requirements

• Length of submission: 4–6 pages, double-spaced.
• Number of resources: Minimum of 3–6 resources. (You may use resources previously cited in your literature review to contribute to this number. Your final project will require 12–18 unique resources.)
• Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
• APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to the current APA style. Header formatting follows current APA levels.
• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 points.

Competencies Measured

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

• Competency 1: Lead organizational change to improve the experience of care, population health, and professional work life while decreasing the cost of care.
  • Reflect on how the project has impacted one’s ability to lead change in personal practice and future leadership positions.
  • Reflect on how the completed intervention, implementation, and evaluation plans can be transferred into practice to drive quality improvement in other contexts.
• Competency 2: Evaluate the best available evidence for use in clinical and organizational decision-making.
  • Analyze the nurse’s role in leading change and driving improvements in the quality and experience of care.
• Competency 3: Apply quality improvement methods to impact patient, population, and systems outcomes.
  • Create an evaluation plan to determine the impact of an intervention for health promotion, quality improvement, prevention, education, or management needs.
• Competency 4: Design patient- and population-centered care to improve health outcomes.
  • Define the outcomes that are the goal of an intervention plan.
• Competency 5: Integrate interprofessional care to improve safety and quality and to decrease the cost of care.
  • Explain how the intervention plan affects nursing and interprofessional collaboration and how the healthcare field gains from the program.
• Competency 6: Evaluate the ability of existing and emerging information, communication, and healthcare technologies to improve safety and quality and to decrease cost.
  • Explain how the current project could be improved to create a more significant impact on the target population and take advantage of emerging technology and care models to improve outcomes and safety.
• Competency 7: Defend a health policy that improves the experience of care, population health, and professional work life while decreasing the cost of care.
  • Integrate resources from diverse sources that illustrate support for all aspects of an evaluation plan for an intervention, as well as for professional discussion about the project.