Introduction
The selected periodical journal is Advances in Nursing Science (ANS), one of the most recognized journals for practitioners and graduates of educational programs in nursing. ANS provides most recent data on a great variety of topics such as nurse-patient relationships, health behavior, patient education, culturally sensitive intervention, and others. The peer-reviewed articles published in the edition can be characterized as progressive and inclusive of multicultural aspects and diversity in healthcare. The research studies published in ANS represent the innovative perspectives on the most topical problems in the field of nursing. The journal provokes a great impact on the development of the disciple, and hence the proposed research Organizational and Care Delivery Factors Affecting the Prolonged Length of Stay During In-Hospital Treatment aims to suit ANS‘ high standards and contribute to the improvement of individual nursing practice and the development of profession as a whole.
The journal requires the papers to be original works and pays a lot of attention to the ethical considerations and writing standards. For the successful submission of an article, it is important to follow the article design guidelines and include all the necessary manuscript components: abstract, keywords, title page, statement of significance, and reference list. It is mentioned that the writing style should be readable and should address a wide audience, yet the paper should be consistent with the standards of academic writing and use the language that is sensitive to multicultural differences including gender and disabilities (Advances in Nursing Science, 2016).
Abstract
With the consideration of the mentioned submission criteria the following abstract outlining the research content and components was developed:
Problem Statement
Length of patients’ stay is interrelated with the efficiency of hospital service (Davoren et al., 2015). Length of stay has psychological and economic implications for individuals and is also correlated with organizational cost-efficiency. Thus, it is possible to say that the prolonged length of stay may negatively influence both patients and hospitals. There is a large number of individual factors affecting length of in-hospital stay, i.e. the type of disease, patient’s psycho-emotional and social status, etc., however, the exploration of the organizational factors, including level of nursing proficiency and the adoption of nursing care coordination models, may help medical settings to prevent the adverse functional outcomes and stabilize length of stay in diverse in-hospital patients.
The purpose of the study is the identification of the most important organizational factors affecting length of stay and the evaluation of the prolonged length of stay on patients and hospitals. The aim is finding a solution for elimination of organizational factors inducing prolonged in-hospital stay. The major objectives include the increase in patient satisfaction and refinement of nursing delivery structures.
Hypothesis
The reduction of organizational factors affecting length of patients’ stay will positively impact professional efficiency, health care quality, and cost-efficiency.
Methodology
The research employs quantitative research methods: surveys, self-reports, medical reports, and statistical analysis. The sample is comprised of 50 patients and 20 nurses.
Implementation Steps
The initial literature review is conducted in the study to identify the conceptual framework. The evaluation of medical records is the first phase of data analysis, The analysis of collected data is meant to evaluate the subjective indicators of patient satisfaction, job satisfaction, perceived treatment efficiency and effectiveness of its organization, as well as objective indicators of intervention outcomes.
Results
There are the dynamic relations between the prolonged length of stay, patient satisfaction, expenses, and overall health care quality.
Conclusion
The elimination of organizational factors inducing prolonged length of stay may significantly improve health service outcomes.
Relevance to Clinical Practice
The research study findings can be generalized and applied in any medical setting environment in order to reduce excess expenses, and increase organizational efficiency. It is suggested that the reduction of factors inducing prolonged in-hospital stay will lead to the improvement of care delivery, nurses’ job satisfaction, and patient satisfaction that will result in better treatment outcomes.
References
Advances in Nursing Science. (2016). Information for Authors. Web.
Davoren, M., Byrne, O., O’Connell, P., O’Neill, H., O’Reilly, K., & Kennedy, H. G. (2015). Factors affecting length of stay in forensic hospital setting: need for therapeutic security and course of admission. BMC Psychiatry, 151-15. Web.