N 599 Aspen University Preparedness in Acute Health Care Capstone Conclusion Module 7: Conclusion, References and Formal Paper This Conclusion section sho

N 599 Aspen University Preparedness in Acute Health Care Capstone Conclusion Module 7: Conclusion, References and Formal Paper

This Conclusion section should be about 2-3 pages and content should be separated with APA first and second level headings.

Remember to submit your work following the file naming convention FirstInitial.LastName_M01.docx. For example, J.Smith_M01.docx. Remember that it is not necessary to manually type in the file extension; it will automatically append.

Start by reading and following these instructions:

1. Quickly skim the questions or assignment below and the assignment rubric to help you focus.

2. Read the required chapter(s) of the textbook and any additional recommended resources. Some answers may require you to do additional research on the Internet or in other reference sources. Choose your sources carefully.

3. Consider the discussions and any insights gained from it.

4. Create your Assignment submission and be sure to cite your sources, use APA style as required, check your spelling.

Assignment:

Submit a formal paper describing the Capstone project

Your Formal Capstone Project submission must be professionally prepared and free of typographical, spelling and grammatical errors. The formatting protocol of the American Psychological Association is the approved format for Aspen University. For detailed guidance refer to the websites and resources referenced in the ProQuest Library.

The specific length of the formal document may vary somewhat depending upon the topic selected, the use of tables, matrices, graphs, or other visual supplements. The following sections should be included:

Title page
Abstract
Introduction (Background, Significance, Justification)
Purpose
Literature review
Method (as appropriate for your project— may include research design, procedures, evaluation methods, etc.)
Discussion of findings
Recommendations
Conclusion
References
Appendices as appropriate.

The Formal Capstone Project submission should be prepared using the Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint as appropriate), appropriately paginated using a twelve-point standard style font (Times New Roman) and written using current APA guidelines. RUNNING HEAD: CHAPTER 4
1
Capstone Chapter 4
Mariann England
Aspen University
Nursing Capstone
Dr. Julie Kolde
July 20, 2020
CHAPTER 4
2
Chapter 4: Results and Recommendations
Health care Workforce Response
Twenty-three hospitals were involved in the research project and gave their responses to
the questionnaire provided with a response rate of 55%. This involved private and public
hospitals, and the hospital size ranged from 40 to 800 hospital beds for inpatient. The hospital
beds’ median for the public hospitals being 352 and private hospitals at 101 (median= 260). An
equivalent of 180 to 5000 health care professionals and a median of 2370 were identified in both
public and private hospitals, while the hospital beds stand at a median of 44 beds in both
emergency department and intensive care units. The percentage of the emergency department
participants was 41%, respondents from infection control were 23 %, and finally, the percentage
of Acute Services and nursing was 14%.
Group
Frequency
Count
Control of infections
80%
18
Occupational Health & safety
42%
8
Medical and medical staff
37%
8
Emergency management committee
30%
7
Nursing Director and Staff
25%
6
Emergency Department
25%
6
Quality and Risk
15%
4
ICU
6%
2
Table 1: frequency of certain hospital departments in preparing pandemic preparedness
and emergency plans
Medical staff and hospital executives were cited as the staff members commonly
involved in planning the occupational health and safety departments, emergency department, and
CHAPTER 4
3
intensive care units in the infectious departments. The hospitals had a higher planning and
preparedness rate in some private hospitals and public hospitals, while some required additional
improvement. Therefore, in the case of a pandemic, the respondents indicated that the hospitals
would handle the pandemic at a good point, with the variable being the availability of workforce
and how severe the pandemic is likely to be. The respondents reported the hospital needs in the
acute health care setting would not be met adequately due to the high rate of healthcare
professional absenteeism. The survey also indicated that some of the hospitals had achieved the
overall guidelines on hygiene standards and precautions training on managing the pandemic.
However, the hospitals needed to have an additional provision of personal protective equipment
to protect themselves from the infections.
When it comes to the health care workers on the preparedness to report to in the wake of
a pandemic, many workers were willing to report. Anxiety was evident in the interview, but they
were willing to report to the health care facilities. This is based on the hospitals’ preparedness in
the reduction of the chances of infections to occur in the hospitals as they attend to the patients.
The health care workers reported that appropriate measures were put in place to identify health
workers infected and isolation procedures to handle the case, hence preventing other staff
infection chances. However, the health care professionals were unwilling to attend to the patients
in the next pandemic due to fear of personal and family safety. This is because the workers are
expected to be infected first as they are in direct contact with their patients, which would then be
transmitted to their family members. Therefore, when healthcare professionals consider
themselves at a greater risk of a pandemic in the middle of a pandemic, their chances of reporting
to their work station are low. However, according to the respondents, the hospital management
was putting in place measures to ensure that the health care professionals were well taken care
CHAPTER 4
4
of. This includes educational training on how to protect them adequately against the pandemic.
The move would prepare the healthcare workers on the protocol update on pandemic
preparedness, which would reduce uncertainties.
The respondents viewed the preparedness of the hospital’s capacity to meet the
infrastructure required in the fight against a pandemic as a mixed one. The preparedness in the
infrastructure was weak, with little pandemic infrastructure presentation hence a potential
challenge in addressing the pandemic in case of an increase in the number of cases. As an
important part of the fight against a pandemic, the emergency department was identified as
lacking essential facilities to care for the patients. Based on the current pandemic that has
affected the globe, the respondents commented on the need for adequate preparedness in the
emergency department to provide the isolation centers and disease wards to handle a large
number of infected persons. Most of the interviewees cited the lack of proper measures to handle
the pandemic in healthcare facilities. The respondents also cited the need to have expanded
emergency departments or shifting the department in a new expanded space to fully handle the
high number of expected patients (Sedgwick, 2013).
Although the health care facilities reported enough supply of medical equipment,
personal protective equipment, and enough supply for medications and other necessities in
managing a pandemic, there is still the need to do more and improve on the equipment,
especially in the public health setting. The hospitals had a minimum supply of additional
ventilators in case the infected patients increase. The intensive care units also needed an urgent
improvement in terms of the hospital bed and additional ventilators. The respondents also raised
concerns over the supply of consumables and essential equipment during the epidemic in the
whole healthcare sector. Some respondents also had concerns over the health care sector’s
CHAPTER 4
5
capabilities in conducting timely tests and patient results, which would affect the management of
the pandemic. The respondents also raised a concern over the use and selection of PPE,
vaccination programs and how immunization is to be done. Therefore, there is a need for the
health care facilities and the management to formulate the best methods in guidance on the
selection and use of the personal protective equipment and immunization programs (Goodman,
2020).
Communication pandemic was also a concern for some respondents who thought there
was the need to have a well prepared and well-coordinated communication center on the
pandemic. The interviewers felt that a lot needed to be done to improve the communication on
the pandemic situation, especially among the health care professions and the patients. This was
essential to prevent panic and ensure smooth management and response to the pandemic
(Christopher et al., 2020). The content in the communication was also a major concern among
the respondents on the diagnostic and definitions. The other concern in the readiness of a
pandemic in the acute health care setting was the challenges of tracing, testing and treatment of
the patients.
Discussion of the Findings
The findings identified some areas that need an improvement in the acute health care
setting to adequately prepare for the management of the pandemic when it occurs. A pandemic
severity can be variable and, therefore, the need to have a plan to handle the pandemic in the
acute healthcare setting. Most of the hospitals under the survey identified the need to have
management procedures to adequately prepare the health care workers in handling patients and
ensuring their safety. The data analysis indicates the need to have additional inpatient beds and
CHAPTER 4
6
intensive care unit beds to handle the large number of patients who may be infected. Also, there
is a need to have a plan to take care of the health workers and ensure that they are not at risk
when taking care of the patients. Such measures in place are essential to ensure that the workers
are motivated in caring for their patients without the worries of being infected and also putting
their families at risk of the infection. One of the major concerns among healthcare workers was
the hospital preparedness in the fight against the pandemic in both the public and the private
sector (Christopher et al., 2020).
The patients’ fear in the healthcare setting due to inadequate planning of the hospitals in
the fight against a pandemic is a major concern that needs to be addressed. Without proper plans
in place and protection of the health workers against the pandemic is a major crisis in managing
the pandemic (Lopalco & Tan, 2016). Without proper measures to support the health care
professionals in the wake of a pandemic, it would be difficult to address the pandemic. Health
care professionals need an assurance of safety against the disease for themselves and their
families to effectively offer their services in the fight against infections. There is a need to have
proper steps to educate the workers on selecting personal protective equipment and how to
safeguard themselves (Goodman, 2020).
Limitation of the study
The study’s major limitation is the small number of participants in the research project and the
number of hospitals with emergency departments. The planning framework and preparedness are
based only on the respondents’ knowledge, which may be a limitation in the study in terms of
data collection. The data provided on essential equipment and infrastructures in the hospitals
CHAPTER 4
7
was scanty, limiting the hospitals’ major position. The study also included qualitative data to
strengthen interview data, which may not be the case (Sedgwick, 2013).
Recommendations
The research project provided important information and an overview of the hospitals’
current situation and the need to have an improvement in areas identified. This will ensure that
the hospitals are adequately prepared in case a pandemic affects a large percentage of the health
care sector across the globe. The research project will be presented to the local hospitals, which I
believe will help them improve their health care facilities and be more prepared in the fight
against a pandemic.
CHAPTER 4
8
References
Goodman, A. (2020). The Global Impact of the Zika Virus Pandemic: The Importance of Emergency
Preparedness. Health, 12(02), 132-140. https://doi.org/10.4236/health.2020.122012
Lopalco, P., & Tan, L. (2016). Pandemic vaccines: are we prepared for the next pandemic?. Future
Virology, 11(4), 253-258. https://doi.org/10.2217/fvl-2016-0020
Edwards, R., & Brannelly, T. (2017). Approaches to democratizing qualitative research methods.
Qualitative Research, 17(3), 271-277. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794117706869
Christopher, D., Isaac, B., Rupali, P., & Thangakunam, B. (2020). Healthcare preparedness and
healthcare worker protection in COVID-19 pandemic. Lung India, 37(3), 238.
https://doi.org/10.4103/lungindia.lungindia_189_20
METHOD
1
Capstone Method
Mariann England
Aspen University
Nursing Capstone
Dr. Julie Kolde
July 13, 2020
METHOD
2
METHOD
Procedure
This study uses a cohort study design to establish the cause of the ailment and identify
links between risk factors. Local hospitals with an operational intensive care unit and emergency
department will be recognized and contacted via telephone to help identify the emergency
management coordinators in charge of emergency management, planning, and operations. A
structured questionnaire was prepared based on an existing pandemic management plan. The
survey has its main sections as facility planning data, workforce glitches and structure, and surge
capacity. The questionnaire was piloted using a representative number of individuals. Data was
collected and computed for univariate and bivariate analysis. A qualitative approach is then used
for text responses (Edwards & Brannelly, 2017). The cohort study method is applicable in this
research as a non-experimental study where the participants included in the study are selected
based on the interests in the research outcome. The study uses the study design to assess the level
of preparedness in a pandemic in the acute health care setting. The cohort study involves local
hospitals designed to handle intensive care to patients affected by a pandemic.
Subjects and participants
The research focused on local hospitals with intensive healthcare facilities and emergency
departments contacted on the research via telephone. The selected hospitals were subjected to the
research. The management in the emergency department and the management in intensive care
will be required to fill a pre-prepared questionnaire. These are the most important sources of
information on how their health facilities are prepared to fight against a pandemic. The research
METHOD
3
design requires that the participants be subjected to training on how the response should be made
(MacKay et al., 2020).
Collection of Data
Primary and secondary data were collected in the research in which the participants
provided the primary source of data. In contrast, the qualitative approach on review of past
research works on pandemic preparedness was used. The primary data involved the use of a
prepared questionnaire based on past research work on pandemic preparedness.. In addition,
interviews were also good sources of information on how acute healthcare facilities are prepared
in the management of the pandemic. The interviews involved 20 healthcare professionals in the
emergency and intensive care unit based on their roles in the health care facilities.
A qualitative case study was used to collect secondary data on the preparedness of the
health care facilities in the fight and management of the pandemic in the acute health care
setting. There was a need to prevent biases, and therefore, the information was sourced from two
independent sources: the information provided by the ministry of health and the internet which
provided reviewed articles on the readiness of the acute health care setting in containing a
pandemic. The internet database provided such materials from Google Scholar and included
search terms such as pandemic readiness in the acute health care setting, and how are health care
prepared in the fight against the next pandemic? Information provided by healthcare facilities
included their procedures in handling the infected patients at the emergency department and the
intensive care unit (Edwards & Brannelly, 2017). In the qualitative research methods, the case
study approach was more effective in collecting data through a literature review of previous
studies on the same topic. This provided important information required in the research on the
preparedness in the event of a pandemic.
METHOD
4
Advantage of the data collection strategy
The strategy used in collecting data has its advantages over the other methods in the study and
therefore considered the most appropriate research method for the study. This is because the
cohort study method provides an opportunity to have clarity of the temporal sequence, which
determines whether the exposure preceded the expected outcomes. The cohort study method
clearly indicates the temporal sequence in the outcome and the exposure. The study also provides
an opportunity for the calculation of incidences of the likelihood of a disease, which can be
grouped as absolute risk, relative risk, attributable proportion, and risk difference. The multiple
outcomes of the study can also be determined simultaneously.
Qualitative data collection is also important in research given that the researcher can be more
speculative on the interest areas of research and how the investigation is to be done. The research
is also more targeted in the whole process, which improves data collection process while
minimizing the cost of the data collection process.
Limitations
Despite the advantages of the cohort study strategy, some limitations may make the research
process a challenge. For instance, a researcher is expected to conduct a follow up of a large
subject over a long period, the study method may be expensive and also consumes a lot of time,
may introduce bias as a result of differential loss of participants follow up, data may be of poor
quality if the data used was not designed for this type of study (Sedgwick, 2013).
In qualitative analysis, the limitation of the study method is that the strategy may be timeconsuming, which remains a major drawback in a research method. The interpretation of the data
may also be limited. This is because; qualitative methods may take between weeks and months
METHOD
5
and given that the collection of data may deviate from the main study question. The process is
also labor-intensive due to the analysis process, such as recording and categorization and
requires a very experienced researcher to obtain the required information. Finally, the research
strategy is not representative statistically. This is because the strategy is based on perspectives,
and the responses given are not measured. Also, the research may result in comparison, which
may lead to duplication. Therefore, there is a need to cross-examine the data collected to avoid
duplication (Sedgwick, 2013).
Ethical Issues on Collection Upon the participants
Ethical consideration that was considered in the research study includes informed consent,
voluntary participation, confidentiality and anonymity. Information consent ensures that the
participants in the research are fully aware of the project. In this regard, the participants were
briefed on the study’s expectations to make an informed decision on their participation.
Participation in the research was voluntary, and they were allowed to withdraw from the research
without discriminations. Finally, the participants’ confidentiality was maintained, and their
information was to be confidential only to the program coordinator, and therefore no use of
names was done. This ensures that participants remain anonymous (Velip, 2018).
Data Analysis
The collected data were subjected to statistical analysis, which included collecting the data,
analysis, interpretation and modeling. The analysis involved a descriptive analysis of a set of
collected samples and data. The analysis involved statistical tools in computing the data collected
from the participants.
METHOD
6
References
Edwards, R., & Brannelly, T. (2017). Approaches to democratizing qualitative research methods.
Qualitative Research, 17(3), 271-277. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794117706869
Velip, P. (2018). Ethical Issues in Research Writing. International Journal Of Trend In Scientific
Research And Development, Volume-2(Issue-5), 2429-2432.
https://doi.org/10.31142/ijtsrd18329
MacKay, D., Jecker, N., Pitisuttithum, P., & Saylor, K. (2020). Selecting participants fairly for
controlled human infection studies. Bioethics. https://doi.org/10.1111/bioe.12778
Sedgwick, P. (2013). Prospective cohort studies: advantages and disadvantages. BMJ, 347(nov08
1), f6726-f6726. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f6726
Running head: LITERATURE REVIEW
1
Literature Review
Mariann England
Aspen University
Nursing Capstone
Dr. Julie Kolde
July 6, 2020
LITERATURE REVIEW
2
Analysis of literature
In the event of a pandemic, most of the population is exposed to the high rate of the
pandemic, which remains at 40-60 % of the affected population. However, the lack of the
necessary guidelines and standards in the fight against the pandemic can be the most important
failure in the acute health care setting. Therefore, it is important for the healthcare setting to be
ready and well prepared with measures and strategies in place to counter the effects of a
pandemic. The world has witnessed different incidences of pandemics that remain a major health
burden to many different countries. One kind of pandemic is Influenza, which affects a large
population of different countries. Due to the growth of urbanization and global transportation, it
is evident that, in the case of a pandemic, it is likely to spread rapidly across the world.
Therefore, Pandemic readiness in the acute health care setti…
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