Outcome Measure of Nursing Project on Pressure Ulcers

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Outcome measure

Outcome measure, an evaluation of the determined results of a process, activity, program or plan and their comparison with the projected result, is a measure of a system result that is relative to the initial aim. The outcome measure is used in most cases to measure whether the system is successful or not. For instance, the outcome measure in this project is the number of people without ulcers. The output measure on the other hand is the number of people resistant to ulcers. Focusing on output measure does not give any information about the success of the project but rather a measure of just the activity itself. A lot of care and precautions should be taken in defining the outcome measures that are used in the determination of the success of a project and in defining whether any improvement of the project would result into an improved outcome (Bickley & Szilagyi, 2003).

In this particular project, the outcome measures would be the literacy rates existing among those populations who are aware of the ulcer precautions, mortality rates resulting from ulcers, percentage of the population surviving with ulcers and the percentage dying from the condition. In this project, the outcome measures will be the tools that are used in assessing the changes a patient is going through over time. These measures changes in a meaningful area of somebody’s life in such a way to inform a collaborative decision concerning treatment. This project’s outcome measure should be distinguished from various measures of durable characteristics like transient processes like treatment expectations, thoughts, treatment satisfaction and personality traits (Baker & Fraser, 1995).

Reliability and viability of the outcome measure

The outcome measure becomes reliable, valid and sensitive to change and appropriate for utilization and use in this project only if it is sensitive to the changes experienced in the patient’s problems, its reliability has been determined in determining the success of the project, it is relevant to the objectives and goals of the project and its ease of administration and implementation. In order to come up with an outcome measure that evaluates the extent to which the goals and the objectives of this project will be achieved, it is recommended that the concerned parties develop familiarity with the identified measure and regularly use them in the project. In so doing, the researcher finds ease in the administration of the outcome measure and its interpretation. The researcher also finds the need for project adjustment easy and easily determined (Bickley & Szilagyi, 2003).

The evaluation of the outcome measures might be a looming and become even a more complex task to perform. The participants worry much about the burden it adds on the existing workload of the project itself. On the other hand, the management of the team develops a lot of worries about time the staff spends and the cost of evaluation system development and implementation. In this project, the outcome measure will not have to remain elaborate so as to cut on excessive expenditure that might be incurred in the process. The outcome measurement will be sustained and integrated in the organization. The participants will develop a learning culture based on the performance that will help the organization in seeking and finding the most or best efficient means of managing the outcome measures identified. In case of result expectations and decisions based on data base with a focus on continues improvement, each participant gets a stake in developing the outcome measure that can successfully work and sustained easily by the group (Guyton & Hall 2000).

Resources for evaluation and method for collecting outcome measure data

In developing patient report outcome measure, various resources such as bibliographic details is required, systemic reviews related to the relevant population and disease, information about the patient that had been reported as his or her health outcome, instrument selection such as population surveys and clinical practice, journals, research groups and questionnaires. The following is the method and procedure I will use in collecting the data for the outcome measure and their rationale:

Community accessibility problem identification
Testing the parietal function of the lobe for immediate screening of the ulcer condition
Performing an examination of the significance and meaning of the activity and project patterns
Assessing the adaptive skill levels possessed by both adults and children
Developing and using a specific and sensitive cognitive screening
Identifying sensory effects of the functional performance and patterns of processing
Using modulation and behavior sensory processing
Identifying the patient’s locus of control
Assessing cognitive disability and suggesting the best treatment approach
Monitoring the patient’s responses
Evaluating the patient’s response concerning the changes made in the project.

In the outcome measurement evaluation, particular evaluation tools are put in place. Premises involved in evaluation such as: guidelines in the evaluation like the rationale, individual grants evaluation, the studies of the evaluation on the areas of the group interest and building at the local level the evaluation capacity; evaluation planning like the intended outcome, measures and activities to be achieved, information needed, methods of data collection, target dates and goals, required resources and the anticipated results. Among the evaluation tools, the following may be incorporated and used; sample goals and measures, cultural programs, public and civic programs, capital campaigns, environmental programs, educational programs, human services programs and health programs (Bryan 2006).

Evaluation of the data collection

An evaluation of the data collection procedures will be done by confirming the reliability of what we have as the data. First we will need a direct observation to confirm that what we have is actually correct and viable for conclusions to be drawn from it. The following if the procedure and/ or methods we will use in evaluating the data collection:

Paying visits randomly to the patients and finding out their conditions with reference to the data collected
Observing their disease management procedures
Recording their adaptive diversity
Observing what they do at all the stages
Analyzing the level of the population’s interest and participation
Clarifying the methods used to collect the existing data
Accessing the questionnaire used and type of communication involved
Assessing whether there was full participation in the population
Assessing the population’s knowledge about the subject, their adaptability and flexibility
Checking the activity sequence that was observed in collecting data
Observing the data collection guides used
Recording the field notes and checklists
Taking pictures to confirm the visual data

Feasibility of the evaluation plan

The feasibility, possibility that the project have potential success after implementation, of the project is evident enough from the project description. The project provides the results and outcomes that interests the researchers and even sponsors of the project themselves. This project improves the risk evaluation and avoidance by executing the instruction recommendations. This would help in protecting patients from developing the medical problem. The study shall propose an intervention program whose implementation will be based on the results from the project. The program will supplement the existing basic health care practice. It would be applied to patients confined to bed including those who are more susceptible to pressure ulcers. This project has a functionality attribute in that it covers the problem in question adequately and suggests possible interventions (Bickley & Szilagyi, 2003).

From the introduction of the project, its feasibility is even more evident as it comes up with the data on the prevalence of pressure ulcers. The project suggests that the people who develop ulcers annually around the world are more than one million. “The assumed prevalence of pressure ulcers in skilled-care and nursing homes is 10.9%, 4.39% in home care whereas acute care has 10% of the cases. In hospitals, the prevalence ranges from 2.69% to 28.9%.” It is estimated that more than one million people get pressure ulcers every year. “Pressure ulcers are associated with increased medical complications, death or infections” (Guyton &Hall, 2000). It affects the life of a patient negatively by reducing its quality of health. There are approximately 60000 annual patient fatalities due to difficulties associated with pressure ulcers (Baker & Fraser, 1995).

Methods and specific plans of maintaining successful project solution

In order to maintain successful project solutions, it is in order to tackle challenges that are faced during outcome measures implementation. Such challenges include: financial problems, finding financial resources to be used in program evaluation even though there is a limited service provision resource would ensure the successful project solution is maintained; technical constraints, accessing sufficient software, and hardware of a computer with the required expertise that ensures appropriate data systems are maintained and managed well will ensure the project solutions are maintained; addressing administration challenges via handling both external and internal needs for the outcome measures would maintain the project’s successful solution. This solution may also be maintained by protecting the patient privacy whose health information has been used in the monitoring of the outcome of the project; the methodological challenges are an impediment to the maintenance of the project solution. Measuring the variables of the project affecting the outcome, avoiding bias in selection, identifying the right groups for comparison, getting data for the follow up activities and controlling external variables during the interpretation of outcome measures would help in maintaining the successful project solution (Baker & Fraser, 1995).

Methods and specific plans to extend a successful project solution

In order to extend the already existing successful project solution, various advances should be done and certain procedures implemented. Technological requirement is vital in extending such successful solutions. Technology is needed in order to support execution and report any advances. The most appropriate technology should therefore be adopted to enhance collection of data, management of data, analysis of data and reporting of the same. Technological advancement would help in administering, designing and analyzing questionnaires and surveys that would help in extending the successful project solutions. Specified software is also needed to assist in managing and organizing development and learning systems concerning the project.

Time is also an essential element in extending the successful project solutions to the population. The resources available, level of the addressed evaluation, the technology used and the expertise of the group depends on the time required for collecting data, analyzing data, reporting data and data evaluation. Therefore, in order to extend the successful solution of the project, the whole project should remain as automated as possible, standardized tools should be used and the implementation of the solution should be made a routine and supportive supervision be carried out. Monitoring and evaluation of the project’s solutions would also ensure that they are extended to a higher level as various corrective measures would be taken where necessary. Budgeting is a key element in extending the solutions as well. There will be development costs, learning costs and costs associated with the improvement of the performance. A large amount of cost should be designated for evaluation programs in order to ensure that the solutions are extended to the areas of interest according to the evaluation carried out (Guyton & Hall 2000).

Methods and specific plans to revise an unsuccessful project solution

In order to revise unsuccessful solutions of the project, various factors should be taken into account. Such factors are resources and expertise. The collection of data and its analysis must be planned carefully in this case to consider the time and technology requirements. Whenever an advanced technology is used, time required for the data collection and data analysis is minimized. The unsuccessful project solutions may be revised through establishing and implementing a program for evaluation providing an appropriate data concerning the success of the project learning and development including the improvement programs of the performance (Bryan 2006).

Unsuccessful project solutions may also be revised by doing the following practices: carrying out chart reviews, this would be simpler than any other outcome evaluation; carrying out surveys concerning patient satisfaction, this helps in identifying various aspects of the services that can help in revising the solutions deemed unsuccessful and carrying out database management systems off the shelf, this is done through patient electronic care system and can help in advancing the care warded to the study group(Bickley & Szilagyi, 2003).

Methods and specific plans to terminate an unsuccessful solution

In a project, certain solutions may remain unsuccessful even after thorough revision. Such unsuccessful solutions are terminated in order to allow room for the project successful solutions to take course. In this case, unsuccessful project solutions would be terminated through: measuring the patient level outcomes, in this particular method, specific outcomes are measured and then taken into consideration. Any other outcome deemed unnecessary is terminated and left out of the project; such unsuccessful solutions of the project may also be terminated via carrying out initiatives such as creating awareness among the participants to avoid such measures that may lead to failure in the project (Guyton & Hall 2000).

Specific plans for feedback in the hospital setting and for communicating the project

The project can be communicated to the project group in various ways. The following are some of the effective means of communicating project information:

Meetings among the project team
Meetings among the stakeholders
Individual, one-on-one meetings
Video conferencing
Conference calls
Electronic mail
Work management collaborative tools
Project and portal intranet site

The results of the project communication to the professional groups external to the project is that there will be team development facilitation, ease of the process of software development, stakeholders easily updated and time for the creation of additional documentation of the project is saved. Other results would include:

Clarification of the strategy of the project communication
Definition of the roles and responsibilities of the project team
The kick-off meetings being carried out
Project status meetings and frequency
Facilitation of the project review meetings
Control of change communication
Transition from deployment to operations (Bryan 2006)

Conclusion

In summary, this paper has elaborated and described in detail the outcome measure. It has also developed and revised an outcome measure that evaluates the extent to which the project objective is achieved. In so doing, the ways in which the outcome measure is valid, reliable, and sensitive to change, and appropriate for use in this proposed project has also been elaborated. Data collection evaluation has also been carried out with full description of the methods for collecting outcome measure data. The resources needed for evaluation and the feasibility of the plan for evaluation is also mentioned in the paper. In the last section of the paper, the methods and specific plans to maintain and extend the successful project solution is indicated. Eventually, the methods and specific plans of revising and terminating unsuccessful project solution and means of communicating the project and its results to professional groups external to the project have been fully illustrated.

References

Baker, R. & Fraser, R. (1995). Development of Review Criteria: Linking Guidelines and Assessment of Quality, 61(5), 223-275.

Bickley, L. & Szilagyi, P. (2003). Bates’ Guide to Physical Examination: Historical Taking, 25(1), 87-96.

Bryan-Brown, C. W. (2006). Evidence-Based Practice is Wonderful. American Journal of Critical Care, 83, 34.

Guyton, A & Hall, J. (2000). Textbook of Medical Physiology, 98(2), 12-23.

Click Here To Order Now!