Assessment 1: Assessing the Problem: Leadership, Collaboration, Communication, Change Management, and Policy Considerations

Assessment 1: Assessing the Problem: Leadership, Collaboration, Communication, Change Management, and Policy Considerations

 

Assessing the Problem

Obesity and overweight are common and costly health concerns because they are the leading causes of preventable diseases such as cardiovascular complications, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Also, these health problems result in other health-related challenges, including compromised quality of life, increased care costs, and premature deaths. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2021), the US obesity prevalence increased from 30.5% to 42.4% from 1999-2000 through 2017-2018. The upsurging obesity prevalence rate signifies disparities in tackling causative and contributing factors and indicates a high risk of mortalities, prolonged hospitalization, and a further increase in care costs due to the high prevalence of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular conditions associated with unhealthy weight. While obesity and overweight pose a challenge to the United States’ healthcare systems, this paper elaborates on the problem discusses the rationale of effective leadership, collaboration, communication, change management, and policy considerations when improving care for overweight and obese adults.

The Rationale of Selecting the Topic

As stated earlier, overweight and obesity are the leading causes of preventable health conditions, including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), respiratory complications, diabetes, and different types of cancers. Fruh (2017) echoes a World Health Organization (WHO) definition that presents obesity and overweight as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a health risk. The standard process for diagnosing overweight and obesity entails assessing an individual’s body mass index (BMI), where people with a BMI index ≥25 kg/m² are overweight while those with a BMI of ≥ 30 kg/m² are obese (Fruh, 2017). The excessive and unhealthy accumulation of body fat is a multifactorial aspect that cuts across behavioral and genetic risk factors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2021), behavioral causative and contributing factors for obesity and overweight include physical inactivity, dietary patterns, medication use, among other considerations shaped by the immediate environment. On the other hand, genetic disorders may contribute to obesity and overweight by affecting how individuals respond to diets and environmental factors. Although obesity among adults is a multifactorial condition, behavioral attributes exacerbate the situation by increasing an individual’s susceptibility to excessive fat accumulation. As a result, it is essential for healthcare professionals to focus on addressing obesity and overweight by encouraging preventive behaviors and implementing evidence-based practice.

Another aspect that renders obesity a health concern is the underlying disparities in its prevalence and effects. The CDC (2021) indicates that the effects and prevalence of obesity are disproportionate to some population groups. In this sense, non-Hispanic Black adults have the highest age-adjusted prevalence of obesity, followed by Hispanic adults, non-Hispanic white adults, and non-Hispanic Asian adults. Also, there are age-related disparities in obesity prevalence among American adults. For instance, CDC (2021) statistics indicate that obesity is more prevalent among adults aged 40 to 59 than other age groups such as 20 to 39 years and 60 years and above.

Besides ethnic and age-related disparities in obesity prevalence, it is essential to note that other social determinants of health (SDOH) are sources of health inequalities pertinent to obesity prevalence and effects. For instance, men and women with college degrees have a low obesity prevalence compared to those with low-level education (CDC, 2021). The impact of education level in preventing obesity rests on the premises of enhanced knowledge of self-care and awareness of causative and contributing factors. Equally, economic gaps such as disparities in income levels contribute to discrepancies in obesity prevalence. In this sense, low-income people grapple with multiple challenges, including limited access to healthy food, physical activity opportunities, and timely healthcare services to support their endeavors to maintain healthy body weight. While these factors determine an individual’s susceptibility to risk factors for obesity and overweight, healthcare professionals should understand their interplay before developing personalized interventions for preventing and treating obesity.

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How to present ideas about the problem to the target population

It is valid to argue that adults aged 40 to 59 years are a vulnerable population for obesity and overweight. The universally accepted evidence-based interventions for preventing and managing bodyweight issues include setting realistic weight-loss targets, maintaining a healthy food diary, motivating and supporting patients, and engaging the target population in physical activities. For instance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2021) recommends multiple community and individual efforts for preventing and addressing obesity and overweight. These interventions include participating in regular physical activities for at least 150 minutes a week, frequently assessing individual BMI, and educational activities to promote preventive behaviors such as healthy diet plans. Although these measures obtain backing from experimental studies and scholarly literature, it is essential to note that people have varied perceptions towards obesity and respond differently towards preventive behaviors. As a result, it is crucial to emphasize effective communication, ethical considerations, and appropriate leadership strategies to convince the target population to participate in obesity prevention and control initiatives.

Undoubtedly, initiating and maintaining effective communication and interprofessional relationships with patients translates to an effective approach for implementing a weight loss program. According to Fruh (2017), a nurse practitioner should understand the precipitating factors for obesity, assess risks, and engage in a collaborative discussion about the patient’s weight. The rationale of engaging in interactive communication with the target people is to realize a consensus decision regarding program goals. Also, effective communication provides opportunities for addressing motivational issues and other barriers to obesity prevention measures. Baillot et al. (2021) identify time constraints, lack of knowledge of self-care, lack of motivation, the fear of pain, and uncertainties surrounding weight management approaches as the barriers to obesity prevention. As a result, collaborating with patients by reserving their autonomy to air their concerns translates to improved patient-centered interventions for preventing and managing overweight/obesity.

Leadership, Change Management, Nursing Practice Standards, and Policy Considerations in Obesity Management

Effective communication and collaboration between a nurse practitioner and patient (s) are profound determinants of obesity prevention measures. It is essential to note that the target adult population has varied perceptions towards obesity management and possesses inconsistent determination to participate in preventive behaviors such as physical activities and healthy diet plans. As a result, an ideal leadership strategy is essential for addressing these barriers.

Although many leadership strategies can encourage preventive behaviors, participative/democratic leadership style applies in addressing individual barriers to obesity prevention measures. According to Xu (2017), participative leadership allows team members to impact decisions by participating in consensus decision-making processes. This style is consistent with the need to involve the target population in deciding plan goals and recommending appropriate interventions for preventing and managing obesity. The nursing practice standards require nurses to adhere to patient safety thresholds through assessing patients’ needs and goals, planning for care, helping, and ensuring patient participation (Vaismoradi et al., 2020). It is possible to uphold these standards when convincing the target population to participate in evidence-based practices for preventing and managing obesity.

Similarly, states and national policies regarding obesity prevention encourage healthcare professionals to implement interventions that promote healthier choices for vulnerable populations. Kobes et al. (2022) argue that national and state legislation impose a sale tax on sugar-sweetened beverages to discourage consumers from buying these drinks or encourage producers to create alternatives that contain less sugar. Also, state laws regulate “competitive foods,” such as snacks sold in vending machines, to regulate their nutritional value (Kobes et al., 2022). Finally, these policies encourage physical activities by creating ideal environments in towns, community amenities, and schools. Eventually, healthcare professionals should implement interventions that resonate with state and national policies for preventing obesity.

One of the most profound approaches for encouraging patients and the target population to participate in health improvement initiatives is effective change management. In this sense, embracing a change management model that emphasizes data utilization and the creation of urgency is essential for convincing people to manage their weights. According to Carman et al. (2019), Kotter’s 8-step change model is fundamental to implementing quality improvement initiatives because it consolidates diverse approaches and narrows them down to three tenets: creating a climate of change, enabling and engaging participants, and implementing and sustaining change. When creating a climate for change, it is vital to use scientific evidence to support the rationale of preventing obesity, including the need to prevent chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), respiratory complications, and diabetes.

Conclusion

Obesity and overweight are the leading causes of preventable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and different types of cancer. Their risk factors include physical inactivity, unhealthy diets, and genetic risks. Obesity among American adults is a health concern because it results in increased mortality, morbidity, lengthy hospitalization, increased care costs, and compromised quality of life. As a result, healthcare professionals should address health disparities pertinent to obesity prevalence and effects by implementing interventions that resonate with state laws and ethical and professional standards. Above all, caregivers should embrace a participative leadership style and practical change management model to create awareness and enhance people’s knowledge of preventive behaviors such as physical activities, healthy diet, and self-care interventions. Often, it is essential to consider the individual opinion, respect values, and incorporate evidence-based practices.

References

Carman, A. L., Vanderpool, R. C., Stradtman, L. R., & Edmiston, E. A. (2019). A change-management approach to closing care gaps in a federally qualified Health Center: A rural Kentucky case study. Preventing Chronic Disease, 16. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd16.180589

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, September 30). Adult obesity facts. Retrieved March 20, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html

Fruh, S. M. (2017). Obesity. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 29(S1). https://doi.org/10.1002/2327-6924.12510

Kobes, A., Kretschmer, T., & Timmerman, M. C. (2022). The association between obesity-related legislation in the United States and adolescents’ weight. Health Policy OPEN, 3, 100056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpopen.2021.100056

Vaismoradi, M., Tella, S., A. Logan, P., Khakurel, J., & Vizcaya-Moreno, F. (2020). Nurses’ adherence to patient safety principles: A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(6), 2028. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17062028

Xu, J.-H. (2017). Leadership theory in clinical practice. Chinese Nursing Research, 4(4), 155–157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cnre.2017.10.001

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In a 5-7 page written assessment, define the patient, family, or population health problem that will be the focus of your capstone project. Assess the problem from a leadership, collaboration, communication, change management, and policy perspective. Plan to spend approximately 2 direct practicum hours meeting with a patient, family, or group of your choice to explore the problem and, if desired, consulting with subject matter and industry experts. Document the time spent (your practicum hours) with these individuals or group in the Core Elms Volunteer Experience Form.

Introduction
Nurses in all professional roles work to effect positive patient outcomes and improve organizational processes. Professional nurses are leaders in problem identification, planning, and strategy implementation—skills that directly affect patient care or organizational effectiveness.

Too often, change agents jump to a conclusion that an intervention will promote the envisioned improvement. Instead, the ideal approach is to determine which interventions are appropriate, based on an assessment and review of credible evidence. Interventions could be patient-facing or involve a change in policy and process. In this assessment, you’ll identify and make the case for your practicum focus area, then explore it in depth from a leadership, collaboration, communication, change management, and policy perspective.

This assessment lays the foundation for the work that will carry you through your capstone experience and guide the practicum hours needed to complete the work in this course. In addition, it will enable you to do the following:

Develop a problem statement for a patient, family, or population that’s relevant to your practice.
Begin building a body of evidence that will inform your approach to your practicum.
Focus on the influence of leadership, collaboration, communication, change management, and policy on the problem.
Preparation
In this assessment, you’ll assess the patient, family, or population health problem that will be the focus of your capstone project. Plan to spend approximately 2 hours working with a patient, family, or group of your choice to explore the problem from a leadership, collaboration, communication, change management, and policy perspective. During this time, you may also choose to consult with subject matter and industry experts about the problem (for example, directors of quality or patient safety, nurse managers/directors, physicians, and epidemiologists).

To prepare for the assessment, complete the following:

Identify the patient, family, or group you want to work with during your practicum The patient you select can be a friend or a family member. You’ll work with this patient, family, or group throughout your capstone project, focusing on a specific health care problem.
Begin surveying the scholarly and professional literature to establish your evidence and research base, inform your assessment, and meet scholarly expectations for supporting evidence.
In addition, you may wish to complete the following:

Review the assessment instructions and scoring guide to ensure that you understand the work you’ll be asked to complete and how it will be assessed.
Review the Practicum Focus Sheet: Assessment 1 [PDF], which provides guidance for conducting this portion of your practicum.
Note: Remember that you can submit all, or a portion of, your draft assessment to Smarthinking Tutoring for feedback, before you submit the final version for this assessment. If you plan on using this free service, be mindful of the turnaround time of 24-48 hours for receiving feedback.

Instructions
Complete this assessment in two parts.

Part 1
Define the patient, family, or population health problem that will be the focus of your capstone project. Assess the problem from a leadership, collaboration, communication, change management, and policy perspective and establish your evidence and research base to plan, implement, and share findings related to your project.

Part 2
Connect with the patient, family, or group you’ll work with during your practicum. During this portion of your practicum, plan to spend at least 2 hours meeting with the patient, family, or group and, if desired, consulting with subject matter and industry experts of your choice. The hours you spend meeting with them should take place outside of regular work hours. Use the Practicum Focus Sheet [PDF] provided for this assessment to guide your work and interpersonal interactions. Document the time spent (your practicum hours) with these individuals or group in the Core Elms Volunteer Experience Form.

CORE ELMS
Complete the NURS-FPX4900 Volunteer Experience Form in CORE ELMS. Include a description of your relationship to the patient, family, or group in the Volunteer Experience comments field.

Requirements
The assessment requirements, outlined below, correspond to the scoring guide criteria, so be sure to address each main point. Read the performance-level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed. In addition, note the additional requirements for document format and length and for supporting evidence.

Define a patient, family, or population health problem that’s relevant to your practice.
Summarize the problem you’ll explore.
Identify the patient, family, or group you intend to work with during your practicum.
Provide context, data, or information that substantiates the presence of the problem and its significance and relevance to the patient, family, or population.
Explain why this problem is relevant to your practice as a baccalaureate-prepared nurse.
Analyze evidence from peer-reviewed literature and professional sources that describes and guides nursing actions related to the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined.
Note whether the authors provide supporting evidence from the literature that’s consistent with what you see in your nursing practice.
Explain how you would know if the data are unreliable.
Describe what the literature says about barriers to the implementation of evidence-based practice in addressing the problem you’ve defined.
Describe research that has tested the effectiveness of nursing standards and/or policies in improving patient, family, or population outcomes for this problem.
Describe current literature on the role of nurses in policy making to improve outcomes, prevent illness, and reduce hospital readmissions.
Describe what the literature says about a nursing theory or conceptual framework that might frame and guide your actions during your practicum.
Explain how state board nursing practice standards and/or organizational or governmental policies could affect the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined.
Describe research that has tested the effectiveness of these standards and/or policies in improving patient, family, or population outcomes for this problem.
Describe current literature on the role of nurses in policy making to improve outcomes, prevent illness, and reduce hospital readmissions.
Describe the effects of local, state, and federal policies or legislation on your nursing scope of practice, within the context of this problem.
Propose leadership strategies to improve outcomes, patient-centered care, and the patient experience related to the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined.
Discuss research on the effectiveness of leadership strategies.
Define the role that you anticipate leadership must play in addressing the problem.
Describe collaboration and communication strategies that you anticipate will be needed to address the problem.
Describe the change management strategies that you anticipate will be required to address the problem.
Document the time spent (your practicum hours) with these individuals or group in the Core Elms Volunteer Experience Form.
Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions.
Apply APA style and formatting to scholarly writing.
Additional Requirements
Format: Format your paper using APA style. APA Style Paper Tutorial [DOCX] is provided to help you in writing and formatting your paper. Be sure to include:
A title page and reference page. An abstract is not required.
Appropriate section headings.
Length: Your paper should be approximately 5-7 pages in length, not including the reference page.
Supporting evidence: Cite at least five sources of scholarly or professional evidence that support your central ideas. Resources should be no more than five years old. Provide in-text citations and references in APA format.
Proofreading: Proofread your paper, before you submit it, to minimize errors that could distract readers and make it more difficult for them to focus on its substance.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:

Competency 1: Lead people and processes to improve patient, systems, and population outcomes.
Define a patient, family, or population health problem that’s relevant to personal and professional practice.
Competency 2: Make clinical and operational decisions based upon the best available evidence.
Analyze evidence from peer-reviewed literature and professional sources that describes and guides nursing actions related to a defined patient, family, or population problem.
Competency 5: Analyze the impact of health policy on quality and cost of care.
Explain how state board nursing practice standards and/or organizational or governmental policies could affect a defined patient, family, or population problem.
Competency 7: Implement patient-centered care to improve quality of care and the patient experience.
Propose leadership strategies to improve outcomes, patient-centered care, and the patient experience related to a defined patient, family, or population problem and document the practicum hours spent with these individuals or group in the Core Elms Volunteer Experience Form.
Competency 8: Integrate professional standards and values into practice.
Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions.
Apply APA style and formatting to scholarly writing.