Week 6 Professional Paper

Including patients in the Team of Healthcare

Patients must be engaged as an active part of the healthcare team since their engagement leads to better health outcomes, increased adherence to treatment plans, and satisfaction with care. Through participation, patients gain a greater understanding of their disease, allowing them to make informed decisions regarding their care. Further, patient-centered care promotes teamwork, prevents medical errors, and enhances provider-patient communication: Week 6 Professional Paper.

By involving patients in decision-making, healthcare teams can ensure that care plans are consistent with individual preferences, values, and needs, enhancing the quality and safety of care (Buljac‐Samardzic et al., 2021). Patient engagement also promotes ownership of health and motivates patients to take active roles in disease prevention and management.

Engaging Patients Actively as an APNP

As an Advanced Practice Nurse (APNP), and with the support of colleagues, clients’ participation in decision-making can be encouraged, education about the relevant topic provided, and motivational interviewing techniques employed. As a result of the shared decision-making process, the patient can be involved in their treatment according to their values and belief systems, hence building trust and cooperation. Furthermore, enlightening patients on their illnesses, the prescribed medications, and other changes they have to make in their lifestyles helps them manage their health.

Consistently, motivational interviewing can be helpful in enhancing patients’ confidence and enabling them to fully own up to their condition, especially when they are chronically ill (Bischof et al., 2021). Further, my colleagues can help by maintaining the transparency of the communication, embracing any questions that may arise, and turning the patients into active participants in their treatment. Notably, engaging the patients results in reduced hospitalization, timely compliance with the treatment protocol, and overall patient satisfaction.

Informatics and System Technologies for Patient Engagement

Technology is beneficial for helping the patients get the information they require and facilitating interaction between the patients and the practitioners. Patient engagement involves using electronic health records (EHR) with a patient portal where patients can access their medical records, test results, and future treatment plans (Pawelek et al., 2022). Further, telehealth and mobile health applications offer a means of performing consults from the patients’ homes, maintaining continuity of services.

Consistently, automated messaging applications such as reminders of appointments and medication reminders help patients keep track of their treatment schedules and attend scheduled appointments promptly. Adopting the above technologies enables healthcare providers to engage patients, assist them in adhering to various recommended procedures, and, consequently, enhance healthcare outcomes.

Process Improvement Strategy for Evaluating Patient Engagement

It is imperative that there is an orderly way of analyzing and optimizing the procedures for patient involvement. Regarding engagement strategies, the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle is a valuable tool that can be employed for improvement. In the planning phase, goals are set, including raising the use of the patient portal and telehealth. In the implementation phase, training patients on using the tools, integrating engagement strategies in care, and making sure the tools are accessible are done (Johnson et al., 2023).

In the study phase, the efficiency of these interventions is measured by the usage rate among clients, including logins to the online portal, the number of completed telehealth visits, and the response rate to the automated reminders. In the final stage, improvements that may be required to increase engagement strategies are incorporated from the results. Therefore, monitoring and refinement enable the maintenance of a steady enhancement of patient engagement and healthcare.

Application of AACN Essentials, QSEN Modules, and ANA Standards

AACN Essentials emphasize patient-centered care, quality improvement, and informatics, which underpin patient engagement improvement strategies. Essential V specifies quality and safety, ensuring patient engagement yields better care outcomes. Essential VIII discusses population health, underpinning proactive patient engagement strategies that allow patients to manage their health (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2021). QSEN Competencies underpin patient-centered care, teamwork, and informatics, instructing healthcare providers to implement digital technologies and collaborative practices that foster engagement (Dolansky et al., 2023).

The ANA Scope and Standards of Practice demand shared decision-making, communication, and collaboration, noting the nurse’s ethical and professional responsibility to engage patients in care (Ernstmeyer & Christman, 2021). By integrating these frameworks, healthcare providers can enhance patient engagement, health outcomes, and a culture of patient-centered care.

References

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2021). The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education. https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/AcademicNursing/pdf/Essentials-2021.pdf

Bischof, G., Bischof, A., & Rumpf, H.-J. (2021). Motivational Interviewing: An Evidence-Based Approach for Use in Medical Practice. Deutsches Aerzteblatt Online, 118(7), 109–115. https://doi.org/10.3238/arztebl.m2021.0014

Buljac‐Samardzic, M., Clark, M. A., Exel, N. Job. A., & Wijngaarden, J. D. H. (2021). Patients as team members: Factors affecting involvement in treatment decisions from the perspective of patients with a chronic condition. Health Expectations, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.13358

Dolansky, M. A., Dick, T., Byrd, E., Miltner, R. S., & Layton, S. S. (2023). The QSEN competency legacy threaded through the entry-level AACN essentials: Shaping the future. Nurse Educator, 49(2), 10.1097/NNE.0000000000001511. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000001511

Ernstmeyer, K., & Christman, E. (2021). Scope of practice. Www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; Chippewa Valley Technical College. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK591808/

Johnson, A. M., Brimhall, A. S., Johnson, E. T., Hodgson, J., Didericksen, K., Pye, J., Harmon, G. J. C., & Sewell, K. B. (2023). A systematic review of the effectiveness of patient education through patient portals. JAMIA Open, 6(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamiaopen/ooac085

Pawelek, J., Baca-Motes, K., Pandit, J. A., Berk, B. B., & Ramos, E. (2022). The Power of Patient Engagement with Electronic Health Records as Research Participants (Preprint). JMIR Medical Informatics, 10(7). https://doi.org/10.2196/39145

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Purpose:
The purpose of this assignment is intended to allow the student to show evidence of the following course objectives:

• Articulate the methods, tools, performance measures, and standards related to quality, and apply quality principles within an organization
• Compare how nurses improve healthcare access and quality
• Synthesize ANA Scope and Standards of Nursing Practice, AACN Essentials, and QSEN Competencies to assure accountability for care outcomes

Description:
For this assignment, you are an advanced nurse practitioner caring for patients. You will write a 2 page (not including title page and reference pages) persuasive paper to your fellow colleagues explaining how to effectively engage patients as part of the healthcare team. Answer the following questions in your paper:

• Why should the patient be part of the healthcare team?
• How can you, as an APNP, engage in active patient engagement? How can your colleagues? Why should this be important to them?
• What informatics or system technologies can be used to engage with patients? Include a minimum of 3 solutions.
• Propose a process improvement strategy that will be used to evaluate patient engagement based on the 3 solutions mentioned above
• How do the AACN Essentials (2021), QSEN modules, and ANA Standards apply?
• Incorporate a minimum of 3 supporting academic peer-reviewed sources (journal articles)
  

  Week 6 Professional Paper

Requirements

• This assignment needs to be submitted following APA format (title page, headings, reference page, etc.). The 2-3 page paper number count does not include the title page and reference pages. Citations from References that are synthesized from the assigned article, course text, evidence-based and peer-reviewed research articles, and other credible sources are required. A minimum of 3 resources are used. References must be current within 5 years
• AACN competencies and sub-competencies must be clearly stated and appropriately applied
• This assignment will be submitted below through Canvas and automatically run through TurnItIn. Please click here for more information on TurnItIn: TurnItIn Resources Course faculty monitor for the compliance of citations with Turnitin evaluation of the assignment during the course session.
• NOTE: Evidence of plagiarism will result in a score of 0 for this assignment. Repeat offenses of plagiarism will result in more significant repercussions per the South College student handbook.
• Evaluation: The following rubric will be used to score this assignment.