Identify academic peer-reviewed journal articles relevant to a health care problem or issue and describe the criteria used for the literature search.

Introduction

In your professional life you will need to find credible evidence to support your decisions and your plans of action. You will want to keep abreast of best practices to help your organization adapt to the ever-changing health care environment. Being adept at research will help you find the information you need. For this assessment, you will select and research a current health care problem or issue faced by a health care organization.

Demonstration of Proficiency

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

• Competency 1: Apply information literacy and library research skills to obtain scholarly information in the field of health care.
  • Identify academic peer-reviewed journal articles relevant to a health care problem or issue and describe the criteria used for the literature search.
• Competency 2: Apply scholarly information through critical thinking to solve problems in the field of health care.
  • Assess the credibility and relevance of information sources.
  • Summarize what was learned from developing an annotated bibliography.
  • Analyze academic peer-reviewed journal articles using the annotated bibliography organizational format.
• Competency 4: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and respectful of the diversity, dignity, and integrity of others, and that is consistent with expectations for health care professionals.
  • Summarize a health care problem or issue and describe a personal interest in it and experience with it.
  • Write clearly and logically, with correct use of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.
  • Write following APA style for in-text citations, quotes, and references.

Instructions

Note: The requirements outlined below correspond to the grading criteria in the scoring guide. At a minimum, be sure to address each point. In addition, you are encouraged to review the performance level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed. Topic Areas

Selecting a topic for your written assessments can be challenging, but it’s important to make a thoughtful choice.

Choose a topic area of interest to you from the topic suggestions in this media piece. You will use this topic to complete Assessments 2 and 3. Be sure to select a topic that will be manageable for a written assessment.

To explore the chosen topic, you should use the Socratic Problem-Solving Approach, focusing on the sections specifically called out in the assessment guidelines.

For this assessment, you will research best practices related to a current health care problem. Your selected problem or issue will be utilized again in Assessment 3. To explore your chosen topic, you should use the first two steps of the  to aid your critical thinking.Topic 1: Limited Access to Healthcare

Short Description:

Consumers face barriers to healthcare access for assorted reasons. For example: due to geographic location, provider availability, transportation issues and mobility.

Potential Intervention Approaches:

• Healthcare information online
• Telemedicine
• In–home healthcare services

Keywords for Articles:

online health information seeking, health care access, health information systems, consumer health information, chronic disease, health information search, health seeking behavior, rural nursing

Topic 2: Healthcare Disparities

Short Description:

In 2010, the Federal Department of Human and Health Service (DHHS) launched the Healthy People 2020 goals to include a goal to eliminate health inequality/disparity. Healthy People 2020 defines a health disparity as “a particular type of health difference that is closely linked with social, economic, and/or environmental disadvantage. Health disparities adversely affect groups of people who have systematically experienced greater obstacles to health based on their racial or ethnic group; religion; socioeconomic status; gender; age; mental health; cognitive, sensory, or physical disability; sexual orientation or gender identity; geographic location; or other characteristics historically linked to discrimination or exclusion” (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2017, p.1).

Potential Intervention Approaches:

• Federal goals
• Community health improvement plans
• Patient advocacy efforts
• “Triple Aim” for populations

Keywords for Articles:

health disparities, community health assessment, community health improvement plan, strategic planning, local health departments, health inequities

Topic 3: Medication Errors

Short Description:

A medication error is a preventable adverse effect of a patient taking the wrong medication or dosage, whether or not it is evident or harmful to the patient. Medication errors can be a source of serious patient harm, including death.

Potential Intervention Approaches:

• Medical staff education
• Packaging improvements
• Patient medication safety training

Keywords for Articles:

medication administration, medication errors, medication safety

Topic 4: Healthcare System Errors

Short Description:

The health care system in the United States has been the subject of much debate as experts try to determine the best way to deliver high-quality care. In Crossing the Quality Chasm, the Institute of Medicine (2001) called for the redesign of health care delivery systems and their external environments to promote care that is safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable.

Potential Intervention Approaches:

• Systemwide transformation
• Process redesign
• Electronic health records

Keywords for Articles:

multi-stakeholder collaboration, healthcare system redesign