Benchmark – Part A: Population Health Research and PICOT Statement
Sample Answer for Benchmark – Part A: Population Health Research and PICOT Statement Included After Question
Description:
Refer to the PICOT you developed for your evidence-based practice project proposal. If your PICOT required revision, include those revisions in this assignment. You will use your PICOT paper for all subsequent assignments you develop as part of your evidence-based practice project proposal in this course and in NUR-590, during which you will synthesize all of the sections into a final written paper detailing your evidence-based practice project proposal.
Write a 750-1,000-word paper that describes your PICOT.
- Describe the population’s demographics and health concerns.
- Describe the proposed evidence-based intervention and explain how your proposed intervention incorporates health policies and goals that support health care equity for the population of focus.
- Compare your intervention to previous practice or research.
- Explain what the expected outcome is for the intervention.
- Describe the time for implementing the intervention and evaluating the outcome.
- Explain how nursing science, social determinants of health, and epidemiologic, genomic, and genetic data are applied or synthesized to support population health management for the selected population.
- Create an Appendix for your paper and attach the PICOT. Be sure to review feedback from your previous submission and revise your PICOT accordingly.
- Complete the “APA Writing Checklist” to ensure that your paper adheres to APA style and formatting criteria and general guidelines for academic writing. Include the completed checklist as the final appendix at the end of your paper.
Refer to the “Evidence-Based Practice Project Proposal – Assignment Overview” document for an overview of the evidence-based practice project proposal assignments.
You are required to cite at least four to six peer-reviewed sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the last 5 years and appropriate for the assignment criteria and nursing content.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.
Benchmark Information
This benchmark assignment assesses the following programmatic competencies:
A Sample Answer For the Assignment: Benchmark – Part A: Population Health Research and PICOT Statement
Title: Benchmark – Part A: Population Health Research and PICOT Statement
The nursing profession is considered one of the most demanding professions globally. It exposes nurses to several work-related factors attributed to an increased risk of developing different mental disorders (Shah et al., 2021). Mental disorders among nurses are linked to intention to leave, absenteeism, and high turnover. They can result in accidents, poor work performance, errors of judgment, and a negative attitude at work (Tran et al., 2019). This paper seeks to describe nurses’ demographics and health concerns, and explain factors that may influence health management for nurses. I will also discuss a potential solution for addressing the nurses’ health issue based on the PICOT statement.
Population Description, Including Demographics and Health Concerns
Registered nurses (RNs) are tasked with providing and coordinating patient care and educating patients and the public about diseases. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the number of Registered nurses (RNs) has grown at a rate of 1.79%, from 3,296,499 in 2018 to 3,355,359 in 2019. Approximately 61% of RNs work in General medical and surgical, and specialty healthcare settings. Nursing Care Facilities follow with 6.77%, and Outpatient care centers come third with 5.91%. RN jobs are growing faster above average, with an estimated 7% by 2029 (BLS, 2021). The growth is expected to occur due to an increased focus on preventive care, increasing prevalence of chronic illnesses, and increased demand for healthcare services due to the baby-boom population.
In addition to the increased demand and advancement in the nursing profession, stress among nurses has also increased. Tran et al. (2019) state that nurses seem to experience more adverse mental health problems than other health professionals and the general population. The most common mental problems reported among nurses include anxiety, depression, and stress. Working conditions related to stress include heavy workload, interacting with suffering and dying patients, organizational conflict, and workplace violence (Tran et al., 2019). Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the stress levels primarily among nurses working in the frontline. A study by Shah et al. (2021) found that 676 122 nurses had considered leaving their jobs. Out of this number, 43.4% stated burnout as the reason for intending to leave their current job. With the ongoing pandemic, nurses will likely experience high stress levels negatively impacting their mental health.
Synthesis of Nursing Science, Determinants of Health, and Epidemiologic, Genomic, and Genetic Data in the Management of Population Health
Nursing science can help identify evidence-based policies that promote well-organized communication and reliable organizational support for nurses and other healthcare providers to reduce psychological stress. It can also guide nurses to identify coping strategies, which can help nurses balance personal needs and their environment to increase their ability to solve or control psychological stress (Penque, 2019). Health determinants that may influence stress management among nurses include the working environment, social support, and income. Shah et al. (2021) found that 34.4% of nurses identified a stressful work environment as the reason for leaving the profession and 41.6% as the reason for considering leaving. Lack of social support can exasperate stress, depression, and anxiety and contribute to premature cognitive decline and dementia. Besides, a low income with an imbalanced demand-reward can worsen stress levels among nurses.
Epidemiologic factors associated with high-stress levels among nurses include
being married and female gender. Stress levels may be elevated among female nurses and married nurses than their male and single counterparts (Tran et al., 2019). Besides, it may be easier to manage stress among single and male nurses than married or female nurses. Genomic and genetic data may also influence the management of stress among nurses. Genetic variant PDE4B has been linked with anxiety and stress-related disorders (Meier et al., 2019). Consequently, nurses having this variant are at a high risk of developing work-related stress. They may also have a more complex recovery than those without the variant.
Potential Solution and PICOT Statement
Mindfulness meditation has proved to be a promising strategy in reducing stress among nurses. It entails focusing attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally, to the unfolding of experience moment to moment (Penque, 2019). Nurses can be trained on Mindfulness meditation, mainly on mindfulness meditation, body awareness, and yoga, to increase their mindfulness. It seeks to promote body relaxation and calm the mind by paying attention to the present-moment awareness. According to Van der Riet et al. (2018), Mindfulness meditation has been found effective in alleviating stress, improving quality of life, and increasing self-compassion among health providers. Besides, it is effective in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression in clinical and non-clinical populations. A review by Van der Riet et al. (2018) showed that mindfulness meditation is an effective approach for preventing and managing workplace stress and burnout among nurses. Based on these findings, I propose training nurses on Mindfulness meditation to reduce stress levels and prevent mental health disorders.
PICOT Statement: In nurses (P), does training on Mindfulness meditation (I), compared to no intervention (C), reduce stress levels (O) within six months (T)?
A Description of How the Solution Incorporates Health Policies and Goals That Support Health Care Equity for the Population of Focus
The solution on training on Mindfulness meditation is consistent with the Healthy People 2020 goal of enhancing mental health by preventing and by increasing access to suitable, quality mental health services (Health.Gov, 2020). Mindfulness meditation is a strategy to prevent mental health disorders and will enhance nurses’ mental wellbeing. Besides, the solution supports objective MHMD-4.2 of reducing the number of adults who develop major depressive episodes (Health.Gov, 2020). Mindfulness meditation will help prevent depression among nurses and depression comorbidities.
Conclusion
Nurses are exposed to numerous work-related factors that contribute to high levels of stress. Stress is related to poor working conditions and lack of support. Nursing science can impact health management through clinical practice and research on interventions to reduce stress. A stressful working environment and lack of social support can worsen stress among nurses and make it challenging to lower stress levels among nurses. The proposed solution to solve stress among nurses is training them on Mindfulness meditation which promotes stress reduction, increased relaxed states, and improves psychological wellbeing.
References
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor (April 2021) Occupational Outlook Handbook, Registered Nurses https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm.
Health.Gov. (2020). Mental health and mental disorders | Healthy people 2020. Healthy People 2030 | health.gov. https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/mental-health-and-mental-disorders
Meier, S. M., Trontti, K., Purves, K. L., Als, T. D., Grove, J., Laine, M., … & Mors, O. (2019). Genetic variants associated with anxiety and stress-related disorders: a genome-wide association study and mouse model study. JAMA Psychiatry, 76(9), 924-932. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.1119
Penque, S. (2019). Mindfulness to promote nurses’ wellbeing. Nursing Management, 50(5), 38. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NUMA.0000557621.42684.c4
Shah, M. K., Gandrakota, N., Cimiotti, J. P., Ghose, N., Moore, M., & Ali, M. K. (2021). Prevalence of and Factors Associated With Nurse Burnout in the US. JAMA network open, 4(2), e2036469-e2036469.
Tran, T. T. T., Nguyen, N. B., Luong, M. A., Bui, T. H. A., Phan, T. D., Ngo, T. H., … & Nguyen, T. Q. (2019). Stress, anxiety, and depression in clinical nurses in Vietnam: a cross-sectional survey and cluster analysis. International journal of mental health systems, 13(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-018-0257-4
Van der Riet, P., Levett-Jones, T., & Aquino-Russell, C. (2018). The effectiveness of mindfulness meditation for nurses and nursing students: An integrated literature review. Nurse education today, 65, 201-211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2018.03.018