Introduction
Pressure ulcers, or bedsores, are among the major health problems affecting limited-mobility patients worldwide. As defined by Kottner et al. (2018), this condition refers to localized soft tissue necrosis that results from prolonged pressure on the skin, particularly in bony areas of the body. Poor nutrition and inadequate care provide a basis for bedsores to develop, leading to serious pain and potentially purulent inflammation and sepsis. Therefore, it is critical to create and implement an evidence-based checklist to enhance the overall quality of care in patients and reduce pressure ulcer rates in hospitals. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the outcomes, approach, and budget of the capstone project, aiming to educate the nursing staff about an evidence-based checklist for managing and preventing bedsores.
Outcomes
The project suggests the evaluation and measurement of the following five outcomes of the training program for nursing staff:
- Healthcare Staff will demonstrate retention knowledge of pressure ulcer prevention methods as evident by the 80% passing rate on the post-test among 100% of the staff.
- The in-service will show effectiveness in training healthcare staff, evidenced by 80% compliance noted in the self-assessment questionnaire among 100% of the staff at the end of week six.
- Healthcare staff will demonstrate effective training on the usage of the evidence-based checklist by using the show-me method and showing 80% compliance with the procedure by the end of week five.
- Healthcare staff will demonstrate knowledge on proper patient and family teaching of pressure injury prevention as evident by the verbal teach-back method and 80% compliance with the checklist.
- The incidence rate of bedsores in the skilled nursing home in California will reduce by 5% within six months after the application of an evidence-based checklist.
Approach/Implementation
To address the first objective, it is crucial to measure the connection between the use of the pressure ulcer risk assessment tool in a clinical setting and the incidence rate of bedsore development. Pressure ulcer prevention involves multiple factors, and an efficient assessment tool can minimize negative outcomes (Sayilan, 2019). The effectiveness of risk assessment in practice can be measured in several ways. In particular, the frequency and incidence rates of bedsores in the nursing home must be evaluated before and after the checklist use. Furthermore, nurses can be interviewed about their opinions on the tool’s effectiveness, impact on the quality of patient care, and key issues.
To achieve the second outcome, it is essential to assess the efficacy of the proposed in-service training on the checklist implementation. In this regard, self-assessment questionaries should be utilized to assess the compliance of the acquired knowledge with the learning objectives. Specific KPIs can be determined to measure the employees’ performance. Furthermore, the perception of the nursing staff must be considered, along with the difficulties associated with educational outcomes. Such an approach will allow for identifying ways to improve of the training program and addressing gaps that prevent effective risk assessment tool implementation.
To measure the third desired outcome, the proposed budget requirements will be assessed. In particular, it is essential to compare the predicted cost of the project with the actual expenditures. Since there are several stages involved in the training program, the expenses associated with each of them should be measured. Along with the effectiveness assessment, this measure will indicate how relevant the project is to implement in the clinical setting. Furthermore, it will provide data for other health care facilities that aim to introduce evidence-based risk assessment tools for bedsore prevention.
The fourth outcome will evaluate whether the designed training program ensures that the staff utilizes the evidence-based checklist correctly. It is critical that further research is conducted with regard to the monitoring and improvement of the existing practice (Etafa et al., 2018). The training provided will aim to ensure the staff’s competency with the tool. Nevertheless, a follow-up evaluation should be conducted to measure whether the employees retain the information provided and implement the risk-assessment tool correctly. Such an approach will ensure the consistency of the evidence-based checklist use in the nursing home.
Finally, it is critical to establish the major issues in providing training and implementing the evidence-based checklist for pressure ulcer prevention for nursing staff. In doing so, the researcher can identify and address the gaps in project design (Shi et al., 2018). The complexity of the bedsore problem in limited-mobility patients implies numerous factors affecting patient outcomes. While the use of the pressure ulcer prevention checklist aims to minimize the negative impacts, health care facilities can face additional problems such as understaffing and lack of resources for effective tool implementation. A survey would obtain the necessary data on the primary issues and provide a basis for developing solutions.
Budget
The proposed budget requirements and allocation are presented in Table 1. As can be seen, the project involves the use of pre-and post-test to assess the risk of bedsores in senior patients. Therefore, the total cost of the training and tools required for its implementation accounts for $100. In addition, the in-service training will be conducted, with the overtime paid according to an individualized paid rate.
Table 1: Budget Requirements
Note. This table represents the budget requirements for the Preventing Pressure Ulcers project.
Conclusion
To conclude, pressure ulcer bedsores are listed among the major health problems affecting limited-mobility patients worldwide. It is essential to educate nurses on the implementation of a structured bedsore risk assessment tool. As noted by Dalvand et al. (2018), preventive tools provide highly positive outcomes when used appropriately. The implementation of the proposed training program will allow for evaluating the effects of the bedsore risk assessment tool in a skilled nursing home in California on the occurrence of pressure ulcer development. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the training and the associated issues will be determined to improve the prevention project and patient outcomes.
References
Dalvand, S., Ebadi, A., & Gheshlagh, R. G. (2018). Nurses’ knowledge on pressure injury prevention: A systematic review and meta-analysis based on the Pressure Ulcer Knowledge Assessment Tool. Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 11, 613-620. Web.
Etafa, W., Argaw, Z., Gemechu, E., & Melese, B. (2018). Nurses’ attitude and perceived barriers to pressure ulcer prevention. BMC Nursing, 17(14). Web.
Kottner, J., Black, J., Call, E., Gefen, A., & Santamaria, N. (2018). Microclimate: a critical review in the context of pressure ulcer prevention. Clinical Biomechanics, 59, 62-70. Web.
Sayilan, A. A. (2019). Evidence-based practices for the prevention of pressure ulcers. Journal of Health Services and Education, 3(1), 7-10. Web.
Shi, C., Dumville, J. C., & Cullum, N. (2018). Support surfaces for pressure ulcer prevention: A network meta-analysis. PLOS ONE, 13(2). Web.