RNRS 215: Nursing Health and Illness Concepts IV - Concept Synthesis/Capstone

• Analyze the concepts of safety, informatics and technology, quality improvement, evidence-based practice, system-based care, ethics, and its impact on health care.
• Evaluates the application of the nursing process and clinical judgment as it relates to nursing care.
• Incorporate patient education in the provision of nursing care.
• Apply effective therapeutic communication, collaboration, and documentation to patient care situations.
• Integrate the patients' cultural, ethnic, or spiritual needs on the patient's plan of care.
• Demonstrate collaboration and leadership behaviors in making clinical decisions.

NCLEX Client Needs Categories:

1. Safe and effective care environment: Management of care
2. Psychosocial integrity
3. Health promotion and maintenance. 

Professional Nursing Concepts:

1. Safety and quality improvement
2. Evidence based practice (EBP)
3. Informatics and technology
4. Leadership
5. Communication and collaboration
6. Clinical judgment
7. System-based care
8. Ethics
9. Patient education

Exemplars:

1. Quality improvement processes, performance improvement project, EBP protocols. 
2. Use of electronic health record, point of care technology, computer-based reminder systems.  
3. Case management, cost effective care, delegation.
4. SBAR hand-off reporting, interprofessional collaboration.
5. Nursing care plan, prioritizing care, clinical decisions. 
6. Internal and external system structures, system improvement strategies. 
7. Ethics presentation
8. Admission and discharge.

Module Learning Outcomes/Objectives

Teamwork and Collaboration

1. Evaluate the nurse's role as a collaborative member of the healthcare team. 
2. Employ strategies for interprofessional collaboration with the healthcare team. 

Systems-Based Practice

1. Critique internal and external system structures in a healthcare setting. 
2. Evaluate system improvement strategies according to healthcare system needs (Project). 
3. Prioritize resources available on the work unit when contributing to the plan of care for patients and groups of patients. 

Leadership

1. Determine the effects of case management on various patient populations. 
2. Implement elements of a change management process in the health care setting. 
3. Evaluate the nurse's role in providing cost effective care. 
4. Execute delegation skills in the delivery of care. 

Quality Improvement

1. Evaluate quality improvement processes within the health care system. 
2. Design a performance improvement project applicable to the practice area. 

Communication

1. Evaluate the use of SBAR and hand-off reporting in the provision of safe patient care. 
2. Employ strategies for interprofessional collaboration with the health care team. 

Safety

1. Appraise a security plan in a health care environment. 

Evidence-Based Practice

1. Evaluate a EBP protocol for safety and quality patient outcomes. 

Clinical Judgment

1. Devise a comprehensive nursing care plan. 
2. Manage the care of patients based on prioritization and clinical judgment.

Patient Education

1. Coordinate patient education during the admissions and discharge process. 

Ethics

1. Diagram the ethical decision-making process based on an ethical dilemma.
2. Create strategies to enhance ethical decisions in professional nursing practice. 

Clinical Course Learning Outcomes (Adopted from NOF Toolkit, 2016). 

Patient-Centered Care:

Provide holistic care that recognizes an individual's preferences, values, and needs and respects the patient or designee as a full partner in providing compassionate, coordinated, age, and culturally appropriate, safe and effective care. 

Knowledge

• Understands multiple dimensions of patient-centered care including:
  • Patient/family/community preferences, values. 
  • Coordination and integration of care. 
  • Information, communication, and education. 
  • Physical comfort and emotional support. 
  • Involvement of family and significant other. 
  • Care transition and continuity. 

Attitudes/Behaviors

1. Values and respects assessing health care situation from the patient's perspective and belief systems. 
2. Respects and encourages the patient's participation in decisions about health care and services. 

Skills

1. Assesses patient values, preferences, decisional capacity, and expressed needs as part of ongoing assessment, clinical interview, implementation of care plan, and evaluation of care. 
2. Communicates patient values, preferences, and expressed needs to other members of the healthcare team. 

Professionalism:

Demonstrate accountability for the delivery of standard-based nursing care that is consistent with moral, altruistic, legal, ethical, regulatory, and humanistic principles.

Knowledge

• Understands the professional standards of practice, the evaluation of that practice, and the responsibility and accountability for the outcome of practice. 

Attitudes/Behaviors

1. Accepts responsibility for own behavior. 
2. Respects others during clinical activities (i.e., no talking while others are talking, cell phones are silenced, and no inappropriate use of computers).

Skills

1. Implements plan of care within the legal, ethical, and regulatory framework of nursing practice. 
2. Demonstrates ability for reflection in action, reflection for action, and reflection on action. 
3. Serves as a patient advocate. 
4. Utilizes an ethical decision-making framework in clinical situations. 
5. Complies with the Standards of Practice, policies, and procedures of nursing program and/or clinical agency. 
6. Completes assignments as required and scheduled. 
7. Provides prior notification to appropriate faculty when they are unable to meet commitments or requirements. 
8. Participates in clinical activities as scheduled, arriving on time and prepared for the daily assignment throughout the length of the nursing program. 
9. Demonstrates professional appearance and professional presentation in clinical settings. 
10. Demonstrates respect and politeness to all individuals regardless of culture, ethnicity, religion, work experience, gender, age, and sexual orientation. 
11. Maintains confidentiality of all patient information in conversation, electronic and written means. 
12. Provides and receives constructive feedback to/from peers and instructor(s). 

Influence the behavior of individuals or groups of individuals within their environment in a way that will facilitate the establishment and acquisition/achievement of shared goals.

Knowledge

• Identifies leadership skills essential to the practice of nursing. 

Attitudes/Behaviors

1. Recognizes the role of the nurse as a leader. 
2. Accepts accountability for nursing care delegated to others. 
3. Recognizes the value of leadership to empower others and enhance collaboration and shared decision making. 

Skills

1. Integrates leadership skills of systems thinking, communication, and facilitating change in meeting patient care needs. 

System-Based Practice:

Demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context of the healthcare system and will demonstrate the ability to effectively call on work unit resources to provide care that is of optimal quality and value (Adapted from ACGME, n.d.).

Knowledge

• Understands role and responsibilities as a member of the health care team in planning and using work unit resources to achieve quality patient outcomes. 

Attitudes/Behaviors

1. Recognizes the complexity of individual and team practice on a work unit. 
2. Appreciates role in identifying work unit inefficiencies and operational failures. 

Skills

1. Plans, organizes, and delivers patient care in the context of the work unit. 
2. Participates in solving work unit inefficiencies and operational failures that impact patient care, such as those involving supplies, medications, equipment, and information. 
3. Considers resources available on the work unit when contributing to the plan of care for a patient or group of patients. 
4. Collaborates with members of the healthcare team to prioritize resources, including one's own work time and activities delegated to others, for the purposes of achieving quality patient outcomes. 
5. Evaluates outcomes of one's own nursing care. 
6. Uses education and referral to assist the patient and family through care transitions. 

Informatics and Technology:

Use advanced technology to analyze as well as synthesize information and collaborate in order to make critical decisions that optimize patient outcomes. (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015).

Knowledge

• Understands the use of electronic communication strategies among healthcare providers in the healthcare system. 

Attitudes/Behaviors

• Values and protects confidentiality of protected health information. 

Skills

1. Uses electronic health record system to access relevant patient information, including accessing and interpreting patient history, diagnostic and laboratory findings. 
2. Utilizes technology fully and accurately document patient assessment, plan of care, referrals, and care provided. 

Communication:

Interact effectively with patients, families, and colleagues, fostering mutual respect and shared decision making, to enhance patient satisfaction and health outcomes.

Therapeutic Communication

Knowledge

1. Understands the principles of effective communication through various means. 
2. Knows grammar, spelling, and health care terminology. 

Attitudes/Behaviors

• Values individual cultural and personal diversity. 

Skills

1. Uses clear, concise, and effective written, electronic, and verbal communications. 
2. Documents interventions and outcomes of care according to professional standards and work unit policy. 
3. Demonstrates effective interviewing techniques and adapts communication as needed based on patient's response.

Collegial Communication

Skills

• Uses standardized communication approaches (e.g. SBAR) in all communications and in care transitions. 

Teaching and Learning

Knowledge

• Understands the principles of teaching and learning. 

Attitudes/Behaviors

• Values different means of communication used by patients and families. 

Skills

• Assesses factors that influence the patient's and family's ability to learn, including readiness to learn, preferences for learning style, and levels of health literacy. 

Teamwork and Collaboration:

Function effectively within nursing and interdisciplinary teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, shared decision making, team learning, and development (Adapted from QSEN, 2007).

Knowledge

1. Identifies own strengths, limitations, and values in functioning as a member of a team. 
2. Understands the impact of the effective collegial communication on patient outcomes. 
3. Discusses how authority and hierarchy influence teamwork and patient safety. 

Attitudes/Behaviors

• Appreciates the importance of collaboration. 

Skills

1. Acts with honesty and integrity when working with patients, families, and team members. 
2. Functions competently within own scope of practice as a member of the health care team. 
3. Follows communication practices to minimize risks associated with transfers between providers during care transitions. 
4. Contributes to effective team functioning. 

Safety:

Minimize risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance (QSEN, 2007).

Knowledge

1. Identifies human factors and basic safety design principles that affect safety. 
2. Describes the benefits and limitations of commonly used safety technology. 

Attitudes/Behaviors

• Recognizes that both individuals and systems are accountable for a safe culture. 

Skills

1. Demonstrates effective use of technology and standardized practices that support safe practice. 
2. Communicates observations or concerns related to hazards and errors involving patients, families, and/or healthcare team. 
3. Sufficiently prepares for and completes clinical assignments to implement safe and effective care, including identifying key nursing assessment data, analyzing data, developing priority-nursing diagnoses, plans of care, interventions, and evaluation criteria. 
4. Incorporates clinical judgment in the performance of care, skills, and education. 

Quality Improvement:

Use data to monitor the outcomes of care processes and use improvement methods to design and test changes to continuously improve the quality and safety of health care systems (QSEN, 2007).

Knowledge

• Comprehends that nursing contributes to systems of care and processes that affect outcomes. 

Attitudes/Behaviors

• Recognizes that quality improvement is an essential part of nursing. 

Skills

• Actively seeks information about quality initiatives in their own care settings and organization. 

Evidence-Based Practice:

Identify, evaluate, and use the best current evidence coupled with clinical expertise and consideration of patients’ preferences, experience and values to make practice decisions (Adapted from QSEN, 2007).

Knowledge

• Identifies evidence-based rationale when developing and/or modifying clinical practices. 

Attitudes/Behaviors

• Values the concept of evidence-based practice (EBP) as integral to determining best clinical practice. 

Skills

• Bases individualized care on best current evidence, patient values, and clinical expertise. 

Clinical Course Learning Outcomes 

Patient-Centered Care:

Provide holistic care that recognizes an individual’s preferences, values, and needs and respects the patient or designee as a full partner in providing compassionate, coordinated, age and culturally appropriate, safe and effective care.

Knowledge

• Understands multiple dimensions of patient-centered care including:
  • Patient/family/community preferences, values. 
  • Coordination and integration of care. 
  • Information, communication, and education. 
  • Physical comfort and emotional support. 
  • Involvement of family and significant other. 
  • Care transition and continuity. 

Attitudes/Behaviors

1. Values and respects assessing health care situation from the patient's perspective and belief systems. 
2. Respects and encourages the patient's participation in decisions about health care and services. 

Skills

1. Assesses patient values, preferences, decisional capacity, and expressed needs as part of ongoing assessment, clinical interview, implementation of care plan, and evaluation of care. 
2. Communicates patient values, preferences, and expressed needs to other members of the healthcare team. 

Professionalism:

Demonstrate accountability for the delivery of standard-based nursing care that is consistent with moral, altruistic, legal, ethical, regulatory, and humanistic principles.

Knowledge

• Understands the professional standards of practice, the evaluation of that practice, and the responsibility and accountability for the outcome of practice. 

Attitudes/Behaviors

1. Accepts responsibility for own behavior. 
2. Respects others during clinical activities (i.e., no talking while others are talking, cell phones are silenced, and no inappropriate use of computers).

Skills

1. Implements plan of care within the legal, ethical, and regulatory framework of nursing practice. 
2. Demonstrates ability for reflection in action, reflection for action, and reflection on action. 
3. Serves as a patient advocate. 
4. Utilizes an ethical decision-making framework in clinical situations. 
5. Complies with the Standards of Practice, policies, and procedures of nursing program and/or clinical agency. 
6. Completes assignments as required and scheduled. 
7. Provides prior notification to appropriate faculty when they are unable to meet commitments or requirements. 
8. Participates in clinical activities as scheduled, arriving on time and prepared for the daily assignment throughout the length of the nursing program. 
9. Demonstrates professional appearance and professional presentation in clinical settings. 
10. Demonstrates respect and politeness to all individuals regardless of culture, ethnicity, religion, work experience, gender, age, and sexual orientation. 
11. Maintains confidentiality of all patient information in conversation, electronic and written means. 
12. Provides and receives constructive feedback to/from peers and instructor(s). 

Influence the behavior of individuals or groups of individuals within their environment in a way that will facilitate the establishment and acquisition/achievement of shared goals.

Knowledge

• Identifies leadership skills essential to the practice of nursing. 

Attitudes/Behaviors

1. Recognizes the role of the nurse as a leader. 
2. Accepts accountability for nursing care delegated to others. 
3. Recognizes the value of leadership to empower others and enhance collaboration and shared decision making. 

Skills

• Integrates leadership skills of systems thinking, communication, and facilitating change in meeting patient care needs. 

System-Based Practice:

Demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context of the healthcare system and will demonstrate the ability to effectively call on work unit resources to provide care that is of optimal quality and value (Adapted from ACGME, n.d.).

Knowledge

• Understands role and responsibilities as a member of the health care team in planning and using work unit resources to achieve quality patient outcomes. 

Attitudes/Behaviors

1. Recognizes the complexity of individual and team practice on a work unit. 
2. Appreciates role in identifying work unit inefficiencies and operational failures. 

Skills

1. Plans, organizes, and delivers patient care in the context of the work unit. 
2. Participates in solving work unit inefficiencies and operational failures that impact patient care, such as those involving supplies, medications, equipment, and information. 
3. Considers resources available on the work unit when contributing to the plan of care for a patient or group of patients. 
4. Collaborates with members of the healthcare team to prioritize resources, including one's own work time and activities delegated to others, for the purposes of achieving quality patient outcomes. 
5. Evaluates outcomes of one's own nursing care. 
6. Uses education and referral to assist the patient and family through care transitions. 

Informatics and Technology:

Use advanced technology to analyze as well as synthesize information and collaborate in order to make critical decisions that optimize patient outcomes. (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015).

Knowledge

• Understands the use of electronic communication strategies among healthcare providers in the healthcare system. 

Attitudes/Behaviors

• Values and protects confidentiality of protected health information. 

Skills

1. Uses electronic health record system to access relevant patient information, including accessing and interpreting patient history, diagnostic and laboratory findings. 
2. Utilizes technology fully and accurately document patient assessment, plan of care, referrals, and care provided. 

Communication:

Interact effectively with patients, families, and colleagues, fostering mutual respect and shared decision making, to enhance patient satisfaction and health outcomes.

Therapeutic Communication

Knowledge

1. Understands the principles of effective communication through various means. 
2. Knows grammar, spelling, and health care terminology. 

Attitudes/Behaviors

• Values individual cultural and personal diversity. 

Skills

1. Uses clear, concise, and effective written, electronic, and verbal communications. 
2. Documents interventions and outcomes of care according to professional standards and work unit policy. 
3. Demonstrates effective interviewing techniques and adapts communication as needed based on patient's response.

Collegial Communication

Skills

• Uses standardized communication approaches (e.g. SBAR) in all communications and in care transitions. 

Teaching and Learning

Knowledge

• Understands the principles of teaching and learning. 

Attitudes/Behaviors

• Values different means of communication used by patients and families. 

Skills

• Assesses factors that influence the patient's and family's ability to learn, including readiness to learn, preferences for learning style, and levels of health literacy. 

Teamwork and Collaboration:

Function effectively within nursing and interdisciplinary teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, shared decision making, team learning, and development (Adapted from QSEN, 2007).

Knowledge

1. Identifies own strengths, limitations, and values in functioning as a member of a team. 
2. Understands the impact of the effective collegial communication on patient outcomes. 
3. Discusses how authority and hierarchy influence teamwork and patient safety. 

Attitudes/Behaviors

• Appreciates the importance of collaboration. 

Skills

1. Acts with honesty and integrity when working with patients, families, and team members. 
2. Functions competently within own scope of practice as a member of the health care team. 
3. Follows communication practices to minimize risks associated with transfers between providers during care transitions. 
4. Contributes to effective team functioning. 

Safety:

Minimize risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance (QSEN, 2007).

Knowledge

1. Identifies human factors and basic safety design principles that affect safety. 
2. Describes the benefits and limitations of commonly used safety technology. 

Attitudes/Behaviors

• Recognizes that both individuals and systems are accountable for a safe culture. 

Skills

1. Demonstrates effective use of technology and standardized practices that support safe practice. 
2. Communicates observations or concerns related to hazards and errors involving patients, families, and/or healthcare team. 
3. Sufficiently prepares for and completes clinical assignments to implement safe and effective care, including identifying key nursing assessment data, analyzing data, developing priority-nursing diagnoses, plans of care, interventions, and evaluation criteria. 
4. Incorporates clinical judgment in the performance of care, skills, and education. 

Quality Improvement:

Use data to monitor the outcomes of care processes, and use improvement methods to design and test changes to continuously improve the quality and safety of health care systems (QSEN, 2007).

Knowledge

• Comprehends that nursing contributes to systems of care and processes that affect outcomes. 

Attitudes/Behaviors

• Recognizes that quality improvement is an essential part of nursing. 

Skills

• Actively seeks information about quality initiatives in their own care settings and organization. 

Evidence-Based Practice:

Identify, evaluate, and use the best current evidence coupled with clinical expertise and consideration of patients’ preferences, experience and values to make practice decisions (Adapted from QSEN, 2007).

Knowledge

• Identifies evidence-based rationale when developing and/or modifying clinical practices. 

Attitudes/Behaviors

• Values the concept of evidence-based practice (EBP) as integral to determining best clinical practice. 

Skills

• Bases individualized care on best current evidence, patient values, and clinical expertise.