Nursing Research Discussion board "Research Project"

Running head: PLANNING STAGE-3 (IMPLEMENTATION) OF A RESEARCH PROJECT 1

PLANNING STAGE-3 (IMPLEMENTATION) OF A RESEARCH PROJECT 9

Planning Stage-3 (Implementation) of a Research Project

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Planning Stage-3(Implementation) of a Research Project

The implementation process of any project requires certain procedures that will enable an easier transition from the current situation to the targeted goals of the project. This project focuses on implementing changes in a transition care setting to improve the standards of healthcare and thus improve the quality of life. The implementation phase will involve a number of steps, including the preparation of the infrastructure for the implementation phase, coordination with the organization involved, and implementation of the training schedule. Further, installing the proposed solution will be the next step followed by the conversion of data from the old system to advanced software. The final verification of a new system can be done before finally implementing new processes and procedures. Thus, the final step entails acquiring feedback from the targeted audience in order to monitor the progress following the implementation of a new solution. Thus, an insight into the implementation of the research project is sought and discussed herein.

Preparation of the Infrastructure

The implementation of a project requires setting up enough infrastructure that will be used to cater for all the necessary requirements during the entire time. The preparation will involve providing a time frame for the project. This will also involve formulating a budget, including all the necessary resources and statistically required tools for the project. It is important to provide a time frame for the completion of the project which can be used as a gauging scale for the success of the project. The table below provides information that will be required for this project implementation.

Project	Key outputs and outcomes	Cost	Time scale	Resources required
Setting up the electronic health records	Making patient records available to both physicians and nurses	$2200	2 months	Computers, informatics, and technology
Implementing training	Nurses being well-informed of better ways of improving care	$1500	4 months	Informatics and technology, advanced nurses
Implementing new processes and procedures	Creating high standards in the transition care models	$3000	1 year	Informed clinicians and nurses, cooperative nurses, brochures
Monitoring solutions	Assessing the clarity of the expectations and impact of new practices	$1500	4 months	Questionnaires and interviewers

Coordinating with Involved Parties

This phase will comprise intensive communication with all parties that are involved. This is the phase that will inform the parties involved on the importance of implementing the proposed project. This will entail having several meetings with all stakeholders involved in implementing any changes in the organization. Thus, there will be meetings with the board of directors of the organization, aimed at explaining to them the importance of the project to improve the continuity of care and thus decrease the readmission rates (Hirschman et al., 2018). This will include improving both the healthcare being offered to patients and minimizing the finances spent on the readmission of patients to the hospital. The next group that needs to be well-informed is doctors and nurses. Clinicians are the ones in charge of giving care and should be able to agree to participate and cooperate during the process of the project implementation. Patients are also critical stakeholders who need to be informed on this project, especially those with chronic illnesses that will be transitioning to the transition care model.

Implement Training

The training of the parties going to be part of the implementation process is important. This will entail training clinicians, nurses, and family care givers. Clinicians need to be trained on how to use electronic health records and how to continue monitoring their patients after they have left the hospital and are in the transition care. Nurses usually provide health care to patients with chronic conditions, like diabetes and heart failure (Hirschman, Shaid, McCauley, Pauly, & Naylor, 2015). They therefore become a central focus during the training. This will involve informing them on the best forms of care to offer to this group of patients. Nurses also need to be trained on effective methods of conducting follow up visits to their patients. They additionally need to be trained on how they can guide family care givers to improve the outcomes of the continuity of care. Finally, patients need to be trained on how to access their medical records from the electronic health record system.

Installing the Solution

Installing the implementation will need to be strategic and will require realizing it gradually. Following the development of the project, a test will need to be done and assess the outcomes before launching the project to the whole hospital. Since the project will involve enforcing a major change to the current situation, there will be the need for flexibility on the side of healthcare providers, patients, and people implementing the change (Boutwell, Johnson, & Watkins, 2016). All components will be rolled out in two units first. This entails making changes to surgery and patients with chronic illnesses. After a careful assessment of the outcomes and ensuring that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, the project can then be implemented in all other sectors of the hospital. Thus, many factors will affect the implementation of the solution, but following the right procedures will ensure a successful implementation of the project.

Convert Data

Converting the data is one of the most important processes during the implementation process. This will entail updating electronic health records for patients, since this is the basis of monitoring the continuity of care for patients (Rasnacis & Berzisa, 2017). This will incorporate transforming the hard copies information to software, since it is easier to monitor electronic available data. Additionally, the progress of the two units chosen for the implementation of the change will be monitored and the progress noted. This phase will also allow analyzing the progress and highlighting any present gaps (Ruopp, Baughman, & Simon, 2018). This will help to improve further during the implementation of the project in all the units of the hospital. The transition care facilities will also be incorporated in making the necessary changes, so that once patients move into that system, they are not affected by poor standards of care. Once the data is converted, the information will be shared across physicians, and patients will also be given access to their data.

Perform the Final Verification

The final verification can be conducted, once there is data available for the analysis after the two latter steps for the implementation of the data are completed. This will require assessing the outcomes of the change in the continuity of care after the initial introduction of any sorts of changes suggested by the project. This will involve comparing the readmission rates following the implementation of the project with the initial rates before. Interviews will also be conducted at this stage, both with clinicians and patients, to assess the difference after the implementation of the project. During the verification process, the finances for moving forward will also be set aside. The budget should incorporate the resources that will be needed, the costs, and the labor, for instance, paying informatics and technology experts who will train the members of healthcare settings.

Implementing New Process and Procedures

This is the most important step of the implementation process of the project. This will entail implementing a new process to all sectors and departments in the hospital. The first step will involve setting up electronic health records for any patient that comes for treatment (Hirschman et al., 2015). The next step will entail implementing a system that allows a patient to select the form of the transition care model that suits them. The next thing will be to allow a patient to have access to their records, including family care givers. Additionally, a patient will be provided with a system that allows direct access and communication with their physician and nurse (Ruopp et al., 2018). Physicians and nurses will be required to make regular visits to their patients to check their state of health. This will make monitoring the progress of care easy and effective. For these reasons, the readmission rates will be lower in the hospital and thus improve the quality of life for patients and the standards of healthcare.

Monitor the Progress after Implementation

After the project has been implemented, it is important to monitor and assess how the changes implemented are affecting the healthcare of patients. This will entail getting feedback from the staff working in the transition care setting and clinicians. Interviews will be conducted during this part to acquire the necessary information (Boutwell et al., 2016). Patients will also be interviewed and record their expectations and if these expectations have been met by new practices. The target of the project is to ensure that the quality of care in the transition care is improved and that there are reduced rates of readmission. The quality of care for patients, as well as the quality of life, will therefore be improved.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the implementation of this project will improve the continuity of care for patients who receive care in the transition care system. The process will need strategic planning, including setting aside enough infrastructure for the project. It is also important to coordinate and cooperate with all stakeholders involved for an easier implementation of the project. The training will need to be allocated enough time to ensure that people involved are able to play their roles adequately. The implementation will also have to be gradual rather than prompt to enable a smooth transition and the adoption of new changes. After the implementation, it is crucial to continue monitoring the progress and updating where there is a need to improve the quality of healthcare services in the transition care model and thus reduce the readmission rates in hospitals.

References

Boutwell, A. E., Johnson, M. B., & Watkins, R. (2016). Analysis of a social work-based model of transitional care to reduce hospital readmissions: Preliminary data. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 64(5), 1104-1107.

Hirschman, K. B., Shaid, E., McCauley, K., Pauly, M. V., & Naylor, M. D. (2015). Continuity of care: The transitional care model. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 20(3), 1.

Hirschman, K. B., Yu, Z., Pennock, M. J., Pepe, K., Rouse, W., Pauly, M. V., & Naylor, M. D. (2018). What factors are important when deciding to adopt the evidence-based transitional care model (TCM)? Innovation in Aging, 2(Suppl 1), 610.

Rasnacis, A., & Berzisa, S. (2017). Method for adaptation and implementation of agile project management methodology. Procedia Computer Science, 104, 43-50.

Ruopp, M. D., Baughman, A. W., & Simon, S. R. (2018). Improved transitional care through an innovative hospitalist model: Expanding clinician practice from acute to subacute care. Federal Practitioner, 35(9), 28-34.