Evidence-Based Practice Project Proposal Essay

Evidence-Based Practice Project Proposal Essay

Implementing evidence-based practice projects to improve health quality and address challenges facing at-risk populations requires healthcare professionals to consider various aspects pertinent to effective project implementation. In essence, a project implementation plan consists of multiple components, including a budget, timelines, stakeholders necessary for project implementation, and appropriate approaches for collecting data to establish the project’s effectiveness (Ross et al., 2018). Another profound component of a project implementation plan is a consolidation of the implementation strategies. According to Ross et al. (2018), implementation strategies refer to the “how-to” of implementation science comprising the scientific means or Methods of enacting and sustaining interventions. While developing a project implementation plan translates to effective intervention implementation, this evidence-based practice project proposal describes a plausible project plan necessary for the implementation of a nurse-led community-based health education program along with pop-up Mobile screening clinics to educate adolescents and young adults about sexually transmitted infections in Fulton County, Georgia.

Setting and Access to Potential Subjects

The quality improvement program focuses on improving health for adolescents and young adults in Fulton County, Georgia. The major reason for selecting this setting is the high prevalence of sexually transmitted infections, especially Chlamydia among adolescents and young adults in Georgia. Also, the disproportionality of sexually transmitted infections’ prevalence and effects on underserved communities in Fulton County inspired setting selection. In essence, the Georgia Department of Public Health (2020) argues that adolescents aged 15-24 years accounted for 58% of all STD cases in 2019 with 54,726 cases. Out of these cases, 80% were Chlamydia cases. Further, the Georgia Department of Public Health reveals that African Americans are more susceptible to sexually transmitted infections and accounted for over 35% of youth STD cases in Georgia between 2015 and 2019. The disproportionate effects of STDs necessitate the need for a population-oriented sexual health education program.

Equally, other contextual issues enhance the determination to implement sexual health education program in Fulton County. For instance, Shannon & Klausner (2018) argue that adolescents are more likely to engage in high-risk sexual behavior such as concurrent partners or without protection. Other factors for consideration are lower socio-economic statuses, limited access to healthcare facilities, and concerns of confidentiality that prevent adolescents from receiving recommended STD screening. In this case, sexuality is a topic of cultural scrutiny. Therefore, there is a need to obtain consent from potential participants to preserve people’s autonomy to decide whether to participate or not (Appendix 1).

Timeline

Setting specific and achievable goals for a health promotion program can translate to effective implementation and positive outcomes. In this project implementation plan, the project’s timeline will entail deadlines for completing essential activities and steps such as a collection of evidence-based information, the establishment of a multi-disciplinary team to implement the project, participant recruitment, resource needs assessment and allocation, project implementation, data analysis and evaluation, and dissemination of findings (Appendix 2). While a timeline stipulates a deadline for completing essential steps and activities pertinent to the project, completing these activities before deadlines would enable the implementation team to focus on project implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and reflection.

Budget and Resource List

Equally, proper budget and resource need assessment are essential steps for guaranteeing the effective implementation of the quality improvement project. When budgeting for a project, it is essential to consider personnel expenses and other-than-personnel (OTP) expenses. In this sense, personnel expenses account for expenditures for remunerations, training, travel, staffing, and compensation. On the other hand, OTP expenses cover supplies, equipment, utilities, and contractual services. For this project, the following resource list will be necessary for effective implementation of the project; technical resources (educational resources, hiring venues, operating Pop-up Mobile screening clinics) and human resources (remunerations, staffing, and travel expenses). Appendix 3 provides a clear description of the budget for the project.

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Research Design, Methods, and Instruments

The research design consistent with the need to evaluate the effectiveness of this project will be quantitative. In essence, a quantitative research design would allow the collection and analysis of numerical data to test hypotheses, evaluate performance, and analyze responses. Also, it is a profound design that enables researchers to collect and analyze data from a large sample size by enabling randomization and replication (Borgstede & Scholz, 2021). Therefore, using this approach will enable me to establish the generalizability of the program’s outcomes.

While using a quantitative research design to evaluate the program, I will use tests and short questionnaires to monitor the implementation of the proposed solution. In essence, short questionnaires will reveal participants’ feedback, and perceptions of the program, and test the level of knowledge regarding measures to prevent risk factors of sexually transmitted infections such as Chlamydia among adolescents. Appendix 4 presents a copy of a short questionnaire for monitoring the implementation of a sexual education program.

Process of Delivering the Intervention

The primary interventions for this program include nurse-led sexual health education initiatives and Pop-up Mobile screening clinics to educate adolescents about STDs, screening, signs, symptoms, prevention, and treatment. These interventions target to promote positive sexual behaviors and reduce Chlamydia transmission rates among adolescents of Fulton County in Georgia. Therefore, the implementation team will embrace face-to-face interactions and classroom sessions as approaches for implementing project interventions. Eventually, the program’s implementation will rely massively upon the Iowa evidence-based change model. According to Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt (2019), this change model comprises steps for implementing change initiatives, including assessing the need for change, locating the best practice, critically appraising evidence, designing change projects, implementing, and evaluating programs, and sustaining change. Therefore, the framework allows the implementation team to analyze barriers and facilitators of a change initiative before its implementation.

Stakeholders of Implementing the Plan

An interdisciplinary team comprising public health nurses, physicians, community-based organizations, families of participants, the Georgia Department of Public Health, behavioral therapists, and nursing educators is necessary for the effective implementation of the sexual health education program for adolescents and young adults in Fulton County. It is essential to note that these stakeholders will play a forefront role in providing necessary resources, including expertise, STD screening equipment, educational materials, and venues for conducting educational and screening sessions. As a result, the interprofessional collaboration will enable them to set collective objectives and pursue a common goal of improving health for at-risk adolescents and young adults.

Barriers to Implementation

While effective project planning entails various steps, including pre-implementation, implementation, and post-enactment planning, it is essential to consider potential barriers to effective project implementation because they compromise the likelihood of achieving the desired outcomes. In essence, inadequate resources, staffing needs, compliance challenges, and low participant turn-out can reduce the scope of the sexual health education program. According to Kamaludin et al. (2022), socio-cultural norms, family values, paucity of knowledge, the perception that sexual education is less necessary, and time constraints are individual and community barriers to effective implementation of sexual health education. As a result, the collaboration between stakeholders can address the challenges of resource constraints, staffing needs, and compliance issues. Further, staff training and enhancement of their cultural competencies can enhance their ability to advocate for community health and dismantle unhealthy perceptions, and norms that limit people’s participation in sexual health education programs.

Feasibility of the Implementation Plan

The failure to effectively implement a health promotion program deprives the community of the return on investment of change interventions (Pearson et al., 2020). Therefore, determining the program’s feasibility is a profound strategy for guaranteeing improved implementation and outcomes. In our case, implementing a sexual health education program for adolescents is feasible because it derives insights from the Iowa evidence-based practice model and supports the tenets of interdisciplinary collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and team performance. These factors will enable the implementation team to address challenges and barriers such as resource constraints, staffing needs, compliance issues, and socio-cultural norms that limit people’s participation in sexual health education programs. Further, incorporating these considerations will guarantee positive outcomes and improved health of at-risk populations. Therefore, the program will realize a return on investment.

Conclusion

Undeniably, an effective project implementation plan should provide guidelines for budgeting, program timelines, stakeholder identification and involvement, and evaluation practices. When implementing a health promotion program like sexual health education initiative, it is essential to embrace stakeholder collaboration, identify the population needs, identify potential barriers and facilitators, and develop a plan to address challenges and sustain change. Finally, it is vital to ensure the project’s feasibility by using evidence-based methodologies for program development, implementation, and evaluation. In essence, this proposal uses the Iowa evidence-based practice model as a profound framework for ensuring the effective implementation of the sexual health education program for adolescents in Fulton County, Georgia.

References

Borgstede, M., & Scholz, M. (2021). Quantitative and qualitative approaches to generalization and replication–a representationalism view. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.605191

Georgia Department of Public Health. (2020). STD prevention for adolescents. https://dph.georgia.gov/STDs/std-prevention-adolescents#

Kamaludin, N. N., Muhamad, R., Mat Yudin, Z., & Zakaria, R. (2022). Barriers and concerns in providing sex education among children with intellectual disabilities: Experiences from Malay mothers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3), 1070. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031070

Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2019). Evidence-based practice in nursing and healthcare: A guide to best practice (4th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.

Pearson, N., Naylor, P.-J., Ashe, M. C., Fernandez, M., Yoong, S. L., & Wolfenden, L. (2020). Guidance for conducting feasibility and pilot studies for implementation trials. Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-020-00634-w

Ross, J., Stevenson, F., Dack, C., Pal, K., May, C., Michie, S., Barnard, M., & Murray, E. (2018). Developing an implementation strategy for a digital health intervention: An example in routine healthcare. BMC Health Services Research, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-018-3615-7

Shannon, C. L., & Klausner, J. D. (2018). The growing epidemic of sexually transmitted infections in adolescents. Current Opinion in Pediatrics, 30(1), 137–143. https://doi.org/10.1097/mop.0000000000000578

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Appendix 1: Consent Form for Participants

Participant’s name:

DOB:

Contact information:

Date:

To be signed by the participant

I hereby give my consent to participate in the sexual health education program starting on (date) and conducted by (Name). I understand that I have the autonomy to withdraw from the program at any time. Therefore, I am under no duress when signing this consent. Instead, I have reviewed the program’s objectives and information; thus, I have made a deliberate decision to participate in the initiative.

I understand that the program’s facilitators will protect my information to safeguard data privacy, security, and confidentiality.

Once signed, I cannot revoke my consent.

 

Participant’s signature

Relationship to the patient in case of other person signing the consent:

 

Appendix 2: Project Timeline

Project Activity	Time Required
Collection of evidence-based information regarding the population’s needs	1 month
Stakeholder identification and establishing a multi-disciplinary team	2 weeks
Communicating project objectives and advocating for change	2 weeks
Recruiting staff members and addressing human resource needs	6 months
Recruiting participants	2 weeks
Plan implementation	4 months
Data analysis and project evaluation	2 weeks
Dissemination of findings	2 weeks after the project’s completion

 

Appendix 3: Project Budget

Category	Items	Amount (in $)
Technical resources	Screening kits for STDs	2000
	Computers for data management	4000
Human Resources	Staff hiring	4000 (appreciation since most of them will be volunteering for the program).
	Staff training and skill enhancement	2000
Logistics	Transport	2500
	Renting classrooms for sessions	1500
Materials	Educational resources such as teaching flyers, presentations, posters, and projectors)	2500
Total		18,500

 

Appendix 4: Questionnaire

(Select the most appropriate opinion)

Questions                                                                                   Yes       Undecided      No

1. Do you like routine sexual health education sessions?

2: have you acquired the necessary knowledge of sexual health after participating in this program?

3. Can you sustain your engagement in the program for the next 6 months?

4: Did the program satisfy your educational needs regarding sexual health issues such as STD prevalence, risks, signs, symptoms, prevention, and treatment?

5. Would you recommend the same program to your peers with sexual health-related problems and educational needs?

Assessment Description
In 1,250-1,500 words, discuss the implementation plan for your evidence-based practice project proposal. When required, create the appropriate form, table, image, or graph to fully illustrate that aspect of the intervention plan and include them in an appendix of your paper. You will use the implementation plan, including the associated documents in your appendices, in the Topic 8 assignment, during which you will synthesize the various aspects of your project into a final paper detailing your evidence-based practice project proposal.
Include the following:
1. Describe the setting and access to potential subjects. If there is a need for a consent or approval form, then one must be created. Include a draft of the form as an appendix at the end of your paper.
2. Create a timeline. Make sure the timeline is general enough that it can be implemented at any date. Based on the timeline you created, describe the amount of time needed to complete this project. Include a draft of the timeline as an appendix at the end of your paper.
3. Develop a budget and resource list. Consider the clinical tools or process changes that would need to take place. Based on the budget and resource list you developed: (a) describe the resources (human, fiscal, and other) or changes needed in the implementation of the solution; (b) outline the costs for personnel, consumable supplies, equipment (if not provided by the institute), computer-related costs (librarian consultation, database access, etc.), and other costs (travel, presentation development). Include a draft of the budget and resource list as an appendix at the end of your paper.
4. Explain whether you would select a qualitative or quantitative design to collect data and evaluate the effectiveness of your evidence-based practice project proposal. Provide rationale to support your selection.
5. Describe the methods and instruments (questionnaire, scale, or test) to be used for monitoring the implementation of the proposed solution. Include the method or instrument as an appendix at the end of your paper.
6. Explain the process for delivering the intervention and indicate if any training will be needed.
7. Discuss the stakeholders that are needed to implement the plan.
8. Consider all of the aspects of your implementation plan and discuss potential barriers or challenges to the plan. Propose strategies for overcoming these.
9. Establish the feasibility of the implementation plan.
Refer to the \”Evidence-Based Practice Project Proposal – Assignment Overview\” document for an overview of the evidence-based practice project proposal assignments.
You are required to cite a minimum of five peer-reviewed sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the last 5 years and appropriate for the assignment criteria and nursing content.