Students are required to submit weekly reflective narratives throughout the course that will culminate in a final, course-long reflective journal due in Topic 10. The narratives help students integrate leadership and inquiry into current practice.

This reflection journal also allows students to outline what they have discovered about their professional practice, personal strengths and weaknesses, and additional resources that could be introduced in a given situation to influence optimal outcomes. Each week students should also explain how they met a course competency or course objective(s).

In each week’s entry, students should reflect on the personal knowledge and skills gained throughout the course. Journal entries should address one or more of the areas stated below.  In the Topic 10 graded submission, each of the areas below should be addressed as part of the summary submission.

1. New practice approaches

2. Interprofessional collaboration

3. Health care delivery and clinical systems

4. Ethical considerations in health care

5. Practices of culturally sensitive care

6. Ensuring the integrity of human dignity in the care of all patients

7. Population health concerns

8. The role of technology in improving health care outcomes

9. Health policy

10. Leadership and economic models

11. Health disparities

While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and in-text citations and references should be presented using APA documentation guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

Students are required to submit weekly reflective narratives throughout the course that will culminate in a final, course-long reflective journal due in Topic 10. The narratives help students integrate leadership and inquiry into current practice.

This reflection journal also allows students to outline what they have discovered about their professional practice, personal strengths and weaknesses, and additional resources that could be introduced in a given situation to influence optimal outcomes. Each week students should also explain how they met a course competency or course objective(s).

In each week’s entry, students should reflect on the personal knowledge and skills gained throughout the course. Journal entries should address one or more of the areas stated below.  In the Topic 10 graded submission, each of the areas below should be addressed as part of the summary submission.

1. New practice approaches

2. Interprofessional collaboration

3. Health care delivery and clinical systems

4. Ethical considerations in health care

5. Practices of culturally sensitive care

6. Ensuring the integrity of human dignity in the care of all patients

7. Population health concerns

8. The role of technology in improving health care outcomes

9. Health policy

10. Leadership and economic models

11. Health disparities

While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and in-text citations and references should be presented using APA documentation guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

After working with your preceptor to assess organizational policies, create a list of measurable outcomes for your capstone project intervention. Write a list of three to five outcomes for your proposed intervention. Below each outcome, provide a one or two sentence rationale.

The assignment will be used to develop a written implementation plan.

APA style is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.

Literature Evaluation Table

Student Name:

Change Topic (2-3 sentences):

Criteria	Article 1	Article 2	Article 3	Article 4
Author, Journal (Peer-Reviewed), and Permalink or Working Link to Access Article
Article Title and Year Published
Research Questions (Qualitative)/Hypothesis (Quantitative)
Purposes/Aim of Study
Design (Type of Quantitative, or Type of Qualitative)
Setting/Sample
Methods: Intervention/Instruments
Analysis
Key Findings
Recommendations
Explanation of How the Article Supports EBP/Capstone Project

Criteria	Article 5	Article 6	Article 7	Article 8
Author, Journal (Peer-Reviewed), and Permalink or Working Link to Access Article
Article Title and Year Published
Research Questions (Qualitative)/Hypothesis (Quantitative)
Purposes/Aim of Study
Design (Type of Quantitative, or Type of Qualitative)
Setting/Sample
Methods: Intervention/Instruments
Analysis
Key Findings
Recommendations
Explanation of How the Article Supports EBP/Capstone

© 2015. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.

© 2017. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.

2

Professional Capstone and Practicum Reflective Journal

John Watkins

Grand Canyon University: NRS-493-0505

Instructor: Bartholomew Chris

10 /17/2021

Professional Capstone and Practicum Reflective Journal

Ethical considerations in health care are essential provisions that effectively guide the action taken by any healthcare professional in regards to assisting the patient. The handwashing training to curb the spread of Covid-19 in healthcare facilities would immensely require adherence to the staff’s good moral and appropriate conduct. The main objective of the capstone project is to ensure the spread of Covid-19 is minimized through handwashing candidly. However, teaching the staff effectively will require utmost understanding following the established code of ethics. For instance, the first provision of the code of ethics dictates that a nurse would always act with compassion and respect coupled with the inherent dignity of each individual. Therefore, ethical consideration would play a fundamental role in ensuring the objective of the capstone project is realized.

Based on the professional practice of healthcare provision, I have learned that I have different areas of strengths and weaknesses. The professional practice of nursing requires commitment and dedication when implementing healthcare interventions that can help address patients’ challenges (Clements et al., 2016). My strength has been evident in staying committed and being consistent in what I do in the healthcare facility. My collaboration with my preceptor has allowed me to realize my potential while working on my project proposal, especially how to handle the staff. There are some areas in which I had little understanding of how to work out. For instance, implementing issues related to my professional practice was one area that I could not achieve without collaborating with my preceptor. I was also committed to ensuring I avail myself when performing a professional practice. Secondly, my consistency and effective time management also allowed me to achieve my objective as far as understanding handwashing healthcare intervention was concerned. My positive working relationship with my preceptor has been my major strength in this professional practice.

However, I also realized some weaknesses, which, when I focus on addressing, I can become a good professional practitioner in a healthcare facility in the future. First, I often became nervous about what I was doing, especially when implementing the professional practice. The moment I tried implementing a professional practice, I could find myself feeling nervous. This weakness makes me feel unable to implement my duties. I also realized poor time management as a second weakness that I need to address. However, seeking assistance from my preceptor will help me to overcome the challenge of nervousness. In summary, I have learned and understood the need of helping to implement healthcare interventions in healthcare facilities.

References

Clements, A. J., Kinman, G., Leggetter, S., Teoh, K., & Guppy, A. (2016). Exploring commitment, professional identity, and support for student nurses. Nurse education in practice, 16(1), 20-26.

2

Handwashing Training to Curb the Spread of Covid 19 In Health Care Facility

John Watkins

Grand Canyon University: NRS-493-0505

Instructor: Bartholomew Chris

10 /17/2021

Measurable Outcomes

This capstone change project proposal considered handwashing training the most reliable healthcare intervention in helping curb the spread of COVID-19 in healthcare facilities because of its benefits. Unlike other healthcare interventions that do not offer measurable outcomes during their application, handwashing is an intervention used in healthcare organizations by teaching the healthcare staff will yield significant measurable outcomes. A good healthcare intervention should have measurable outcomes to help motivate the implementation process of the intervention. Therefore, handwashing as a healthcare intervention in mitigating the spread of coronavirus disease has the following measurable outcomes when used in healthcare facilities. The outcomes include improved hygiene in the healthcare facility, a reduction in the rate of spread of COVID-19, a reduction in the mortality rate, increased awareness of the intervention among patients, and Improved patient outcomes.

Improved Hygiene in the Healthcare Facility

Handwashing is training in a healthcare facility that will help in improving hygiene in the healthcare facility. In a healthcare facility, hand hygiene is one of the most reliable interventions that can help in reducing the spread of COVID-19, among other infections (Vermeil et al., 2019). Healthcare professionals interact with many tools and equipment during their normal duties in the healthcare organization. For instance, a healthcare professional can interact with a patient, and in the process, they support the patient by holding them. Such a healthcare professional must wash their hands to ensure that they maintain the health facility’s hygiene. This outcome can be evident after one week. This period allows the healthcare facility to measure the level of hygiene in the healthcare facility in relation to the application of the intervention. The rationale of this outcome is to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other infections that can be transferred the same way as COVID-19. Such infections include cholera and typhoid. Achieving good hygiene will help in achieving the healthcare objective of mitigating the spread of COVID-19.

A reduction in the Rate of Spread of Covid-19

A reduction in the spread of COVID-19 is also an outcome that can be achieved when a handwashing training intervention is implemented in a healthcare facility. During the emergence of COVID-19, there were little interventions in helping to curb the spread of COVID-19. Many people died of the virus due to proper guidelines by the healthcare sector on how to prevent its spread. However, through the introduction of handwashing, healthcare facilities have managed to realize a change in the rate of spread of the virus. Therefore, the effectiveness of handwashing can be measured through the rate of spread of the virus. A lower rate of spread of COVID-19 is an indication that handwashing intervention is effective (Liu et al., 2021). The measurement of the results can be observed after one week of handwashing in a healthcare facility. The rationale of this outcome is to minimize the high rate of COVID-19 spread that can result in a healthcare organization due to proper interventions such as embracing handwashing.

A reduction in the Rate of Mortality Rate

The mortality rate resulting from COVID-19 can present a worrying trend if proper interventions are not enforced by a healthcare facility (Bertsimas et al., 2020). To curb the spread of COVID-19, the healthcare sector has often kept track of the trend in the mortality rate. Some patients who happen to have other infections are at a high risk of getting COVID-19, especially when they visit healthcare facilities that have no handwashing interventions in helping to curb the spread of corona virus disease. Healthcare professionals also get infected with the virus and eventually die. However, handwashing training can reduce the mortality rate resulting from COVID-19, hence achieving a high quality of care. When patients and healthcare professionals wash their hands regularly, the rate of spread will reduce hence reducing the rate of mortality resulting from COVID-19. The rationale of this outcome is to mitigate the mortality rate that results from COVID-19. A high mortality rate resulting from COVID-19 compromises the effort of healthcare professionals in curbing the spread of the virus.

Increased Awareness of the Intervention Among Patients

Lack of awareness in healthcare facilities on the significance of handwashing contributes to the high rate of COVID-19 spread in the healthcare facility. There is a need for all healthcare professionals to be sensitized on the significance of embracing handwashing to help mitigate the spread of the virus. Creating awareness through training of the staff in the healthcare organization can help emphasize the importance of handwashing in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. This outcome can help healthcare professionals and patients who seek medical attention in the healthcare facility. Therefore, enforcing handwashing in a healthcare facility will help sensitize the healthcare professionals on installing many handwashing points in the healthcare facility due to a high number of people going in the healthcare organization (Sharma et al., 2021). The rationale of this measurable outcome is to sensitize healthcare professionals and patients on the significance of handwashing. Patients who do not embrace handwashing at their homes can implement the initiative when sensitized in the healthcare facility.

Improved Patient Outcomes.

The primary objective of any healthcare facility is to realize improved patient outcomes (Land et al., 2019). Improved patient outcomes through minimizing the spread of COVID-19 is an intervention which help a healthcare facility to realize its objective. This goal can only be achieved if effective interventions are well implemented. Therefore, in the fight against COVID-19, handwashing is one of the interventions that can help achieve improved patient outcomes when implemented. Proper handwashing in the healthcare facility will help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and help prevent the spread of other diseases such as cholera, flu, and cold. This outcome can be realized by the healthcare facility after one week. This outcome also motivates healthcare professionals to provide quality health services to patients. The rationale of this outcome is to help achieve quality patient outcomes. Minimizing the spread of COVID-19 through handwashing helps in realizing improved patient outcomes in a healthcare facility.

References

Bertsimas, D., Lukin, G., Mingardi, L., Nohadani, O., Orfanoudaki, A., Stellato, B., … & Hellenic COVID-19 Study Group. (2020). COVID-19 mortality risk assessment: An international multi-center study. PloS one, 15(12), e0243262.

Land, K. J., Boeras, D. I., Chen, X. S., Ramsay, A. R., & Peeling, R. W. (2019). REASSURED diagnostics to inform disease control strategies, strengthen health systems and improve patient outcomes. Nature microbiology, 4(1), 46-54.

Liu, X., Huang, J., Li, C., Zhao, Y., Wang, D., Huang, Z., & Yang, K. (2021). The role of seasonality in the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Environmental Research, 195, 110874.

Sharma, M., Batra, K., Davis, R. E., & Wilkerson, A. H. (2021, January). Explaining handwashing behavior in a sample of college students during COVID-19 pandemic using the multi-theory model (MTM) of health behavior change: a single institutional cross-sectional survey. In Healthcare (Vol. 9, No. 1, p. 55). Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute.

Vermeil, T., Peters, A., Kilpatrick, C., Pires, D., Allegranzi, B., & Pittet, D. (2019). Hand hygiene in hospitals: anatomy of a revolution. Journal of Hospital Infection, 101(4), 383-392.