BSN 499 Activity 2 Project Proposal-Part 1

Student Name

Post University

SIMPATH_BSN499

Professor Name

April 9th, 2022

Introduction

Expanding the scope of nursing practice in the delivered healthcare setting, the nurses’ tasks include leadership, education, and quality improvement (Davis et al., 2019). Thus, the capstone project suggested in the current paper is centered on the patient education initiative designed to enhance self-management among patients with chronic hypertension. This project is of significant relevance as it pertains to an essential requirement for identifying appropriate education methodologies to apply for the remedial scope to treat a prevalent and detrimental illness to the health of the public. Its primary focus is the improvement of the condition’s treatment through educating patients and lowering the risk of developing associated complications, being readmitted to the hospital, and the overall costs incurred in treating poorly managed high blood pressure. 

Nursing is a profession for which I have a lot of passion as it entails the care of patients, and this proposal will aim to present a clear and detailed plan on how patients can be educated and empowered for the improvement of their health through EBPs. In this project, the goal is not only to enhance the results of individual patient’s treatment but to positively affect the nursing field, presenting a reproducible framework that can be used in a variety of clinical contexts. By so doing, this proposal will outline the significance of nursing in patient education and chronic diseases, as well as the effect of patients who are well-educated when it comes to the duration of chronic diseases on the health system.

Capstone Project Proposal Topic

Chosen Capstone Project

The selected capstone project essay is to design and initiate a patient education program regarding the condition of chronic hypertension. This program will be aimed at increasing the level of understanding of patients, their abilities, and self-estimations as to their further condition. It will include changes in behavior, taking medicines, and signs to avoid complications in the course of the sickness. The program will include face-to-face sessions, brochures, and other documents, as well as online materials that will help facilitate the patient’s development. 

Description of the Project

The proposed project focuses on developing an over-arching program that aims to educate the patient of hypertensive status. The components of the program will be composed of multiple joint group presentations conducted by different healthcare workers, client-centered consultations with therapists, and handing out informational pamphlets along with instructional videos (Valentini et al., 2022). Further, there will be a mobile application that will offer constant assistance and useful information to support patients fully: monitor their blood pressure, help them remember the medications to take following a particular schedule, and find relevant videos or articles on blood pressure. The proposed project will be initially implemented in the primary care environment; the program’s effectiveness will be assessed based on the patients’ responses, changes in their blood pressure, and hospitalization readmission rates. 

Rationale for Choosing this Project

Hypertension is currently ranked as one of the most common diseases in the world, with which millions of people are diagnosed, and is seen as one of the major causes of cardiovascular diseases (Zhou et al., 2021). Even though hypertension is treatable, many patients fail to effectively manage this condition, largely because they lack basic information and encouragement. It is for these reasons that this particular project was chosen as it targets a significant area of patient care; educational solutions resulting in patient involvement in treatment. Therefore, the goal of the given project is to enhance the level of education concerning hypertension management, increase the public’s compliance with prescribed treatment regimens, encourage healthier lifestyles, and, in turn, decrease the number of complications arising from hypertension. 

Relevant Background and Information

Conditions such as chronic hypertension continue to be a significant source of morbidity and mortality in the global population, which has prompted the WHO to name it among the top killer diseases of the 21st century (Gu et al., 2021). According to the data of the present day, about one percent of the general population has schizophrenia (Orrico-Sánchez et al., 2020). According to the World Health Organisation, 13 billion individuals endure hypertension, and only 20% of this population has the condition in check (Khan et al., 2020). Current literature indicates that patient education is an effective activity for controlling CHD but a neglected practice in many health organizations. A prior study has noted that professionally activated client groups are more inclined to take the prescribed medications, adopt healthier habits, and practice preventive measures concerning their health. This background supports the need and the probability of a comprehensive patient education program on hypertension.

Importance of the Project

The relevance of this project, therefore, stems from the belief that this approach will help the intended beneficiaries, patients with chronic hypertension, manage their state and reduce the health risk factors associated with the condition. The importance of this project is crucial since it aims at filling a major void in the knowledge that patients need to have as far as their LBP control individual is concerned to avert complications ranging from strokes to heart ailments (Wang et al., 2023). They also include enhanced patients’ compliance to the doctor-prescribed regimes, reduced blood pressure, lower rates of hypertension patients’ re-admission, and all-around improved health of the patients. Strengthening health management as outlined under this project therefore seeks to enhance patient health outcomes and assist in the attainment of the larger goal of enhancing the public health status to eradicate hypertension. 

Impact on Personal Profession

The idea of adopting this patient education program will impressively transform my professional practice in terms of education communication with patients, and treatment of chronic diseases. In this project, the quality of patient care increases because of the purposeful focus on enhancing patients’ understanding and compliance with prescribed treatment regimens resulting in better hypertension control and patients’ outcomes. This initiative will also be an opportunity for my professional advancement as I become acquainted with the development and implementation of programs as well as their analysis. Furthermore, being charged with the responsibility of supervising this project offers me leadership training as I work with several players in the healthcare spectrum and help offer directions on how practice should be done in my healthcare facility. Last, the project relates to my career values and interest in enhancing nursing education and leadership in the management and promotion of chronic diseases.

Impact on the Nursing Profession

This study can contribute to the improvement of nursing practices by implementing formal methods of teaching patients with Chronic Hypertension while endorsing the extinction of comprehensive programs into the usual care of the patient and the development of the best practices for this type of care. This regular activity in managing chronic diseases can help in maintaining the nursing practice constantly optimized and therefore act as a beacon for early adopters of other chronic disease management programs (Byrne, 2022). Also, it has an impact on nursing education as it underlines the significance of patients’ education and provides future nurses with skills in communication with patients. Such insights can therefore be used to influence healthcare policies for the improvement of patient education as part of standard practice and raising awareness to make effective practice a norm among nurses. 

Conclusion

To summarize, this capstone project is devoted to creating a sustained patient education plan concerning chronic hypertension to enhance patients’ self-management and overall health. The plan is essential as it fills in an identified knowledge deficit within the patients as well as promotes issue-based best practices. Due to the improved patient knowledge, compliance, and participation resulting from the plan, the frequency of hypertension complications and the associated expenditures are apt to be minimized. Consequently, the significance of this project can be summarized in its ability to progress the nursing profession, the education of nurses, organizational policies, the delivery of evidence-based care, and further the improvement of the public’s health. Lastly, this project contributes to the improvement of patient control and the quality of care in the nursing practice.