Framing a Practice Problem as a Critical Question with Measurable Outcomes Essay

 Framing a Practice Problem as a Critical Question with Measurable Outcomes Essay

 

Practice Problem: How do we keep dementia patients safe?

Undoubtedly, safeguarding patient safety is the most profound goal for healthcare professionals, irrespective of clinical settings. Patients with dementia depend on caregivers, including family members and social workers, posing a safety concern. Haikio et al. (2017) define dementia as “a chronic and progressive disease that leads to deterioration in memory, thinking, behavior, and the ability to take part in daily activities” (p. 2). In this sense, the disease is a leading cause of disability and dependency, considering the increased need for close monitoring, cognitive and behavioral therapies, and much-sought-after help to participate in daily basic activities, including hygiene, cooking, and medication adherence. Also, patients with dementia are susceptible to additional safety concerns, including falls, polypharmacy, food safety, and traffic safety issues. As a result, creating a safe environment for this at-risk population safeguards their security while enhancing individual dignity and fulfilling psychological needs.

How do we keep dementia patients safe?

Regardless of the potential benefits of creating a safe environment for patients with dementia, concerns for the ideal safety strategies pose a challenge to healthcare professionals. In this sense, caregivers struggle to implement care interventions that guarantee patients’ safety in-patient facilities and community outpatient settings due to the discrepancies manifesting during transitions and care continuity. As a result, it is essential to incorporate evidence-based practice and implement strategies with a promise of measurable outcomes.

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Summary of Literature

Many scholarly sources propose safety measures that focus on various priorities, including preventing physical harm, eliminating medication errors and polypharmacy, and providing psychological, emotional, and social support to patients with dementia. In a qualitative study by Haikio et al. (2019), the researchers recommend a contingency plan to prevent physical, economic, and emotional harm for dementia patients in community settings. The framework for preventing physical harm contains three sub-themes; preventive presence, monitoring by health professionals, and individualized use of protective aids. On the other hand, Sagbakken et al. (2017) require healthcare professionals and community-based caregivers to promote dignity by preserving patient autonomy, emphasizing integrity, ensuring shared decision-making, and personalizing care interventions. These approaches consistently promote positive patient outcomes, eliminate harm, and improve patients’ health and wellness.

Finally, emotional safety is a vital safety indicator for patients with dementia because it entails creating the concept of “inner safety.” According to Grobosch et al. (2020), it is possible to cultivate emotional safety by providing psychological support, encouraging patient-centered cars, and maintaining meaningful relationships with patients and their families or community-based caregivers. It is possible to incorporate spiritual values in the current healthcare systems to give hope and cultivate perceptions of purpose to improve patients’ health and enhance outcomes.

Stakeholders and Improvement Initiatives

Notably, studies by Haikio et al. (2019), Sagbakken et al. (2017), and Grosbosch et al. (2020) suggest interventions for improving safety for patients with dementia. These mechanisms for improving health for such a susceptible patient population include averting emotional harm, maintaining respect and dignity, preventing loneliness, enhancing positive feelings, and creating an environment for social interactions. Other evidence-based safety improvement strategies are preventing physical harm and averting economic struggles. Undoubtedly, these approaches require total collaboration between stakeholders in care delivery, including physicians, nurses, social workers, family members, relatives, and patients. Multi-actor collaboration and effective information sharing mechanisms between stakeholders translate to care coordination and timely interventions for reducing physical, emotional, psychological, and economic harm.

Conclusion

Although safeguarding the safety of patients with dementia poses a challenge to healthcare professionals due to the complexities surrounding in-patient and outpatient care settings, it is essential to implement evidence-based practices and incorporate proven strategies. In this sense, caregivers can collaborate to eliminate physical, emotional, and economic harm by embracing contingent measures such as patient-centered care, social support, physical assistance, psychological and cognitive therapy, and maintaining meaningful relationships.

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References

Grobosch, S., Wolf, F., Juchems, S., & Kuske, S. (2020). Emotional safety of people living with dementia: A systematic review. Journal Of Mental Health, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2020.1739241

Häikiö, K., Sagbakken, M., & Rugkåsa, J. (2019). Dementia and patient safety in the community: A qualitative study of family carers’ protective practices and implications for services. BMC Health Services Research, 19(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4478-2

Sagbakken, M., Nåden, D., Ulstein, I., Kvaal, K., Langhammer, B., & Rognstad, M. (2017). Dignity in people with frontotemporal dementia and similar disorders — a qualitative study of the perspective of family caregivers. BMC Health Services Research, 17(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-017-2378-x

Post a brief explanation of your critical question. Then, summarize the 2–3 articles you identified that address your critical question. Using the same language you would use with stakeholders, explain the critical question and the value of addressing it as a quality improvement initiative. Be specific. Cite the scholarly articles and other resources to support your post.
Writer request: Lenah 95 (1199).
Practice Problem: How do we keep dementia patients safe?