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Chapter Five: Plan for Project Implementation Process
NURS 491 - Nursing Management (D)
Liberty University
Name
2022
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Chapter Five: Plan for Project Implementation Process
The exacerbation of mental illnesses, particularly among young adult males 18 to 30
years of age, is a concern nationally and at the practice site. Evidence appraisal on the issue
indicated that this group is vulnerable to street related victimization, predatory crimes, and other
hardships (Ellsworth, 2019). Genuchi (2019) noted the mediating role of gender, particularly the
assumed strong role of the male, as linked to increased depressive symptoms and suicidal
ideation. Young adult males aged 18 to 30 years also known as transitioning age youths (TAY)
have a combination of pressure to establish oneself and contradictory states on the streets are part
of the problem’s etiology. Henwood et al. (2019) studied housing as a possible solution to
problems facing TAY and found they require a supportive environment in temporary structures
to successfully transition to independence. The implementation of temporary housing for TAY
have been studied and found to facilitate successful transition to independence among TAY. The
evidence supports this project’s intervention of standardizing screening and housing protocols at
the clinical practice site. The purpose of this paper is to detail the project’s implantation plan and
plan for the evaluation of this EBP project.
Project Plan Details
The main goal of project planning is moving from the general project outline and
preparation activities to actual and specific steps. Project plans can take many shapes but need to
include some common elements like budgets, deliverables, schedules, supporting documents, and
assignment details (Harris et al., 2020). With the project of developing standardized screening
and housing protocols for the population of interest, some questions needing answered included
how the project matched with the overall organizational goals, how it mirrored the corporate
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identity, and how it impacted workflow (Harris et al., 2020). The project matched the
organization’s goal of providing quality care to its patients. Additionally, the proposed project
supported the corporate identity of a family-centered specialist organization offering unrivaled
medical care, and while the project increases workload for team members, it works in tandem
with the day-to-day activities of the clinical setting.
Planned Setting
The clinical setting is a small medical clinic offering both family and internal medicine in
Phoenix, Arizona. The planned project will take place in the facility’s mental health department
that provides treatment for mental health disorders; individual, family, or group therapy;
counseling services; psychological interventions; and treatment or rehabilitation for alcohol
and/or drug abuse. The intervention will take place in the conference room within the clinic.
Planned Participants and Planned Recruitment Steps
The population of interest is homeless young adult males aged 18 to 30 years of age. The
project aims to recruit 22 participants to occupy two group homes with 11 participants residing
in each. The participants will be identified using the electronic health record (EHR) of the
organization. The search criteria will be 1) homelessness in the past two years, 2) male patients
aged of 18 to 30 years old, and 3) received temporary housing assistance and/or temporary
shelter for two or more weeks in the past two years. Selected participants will be further screened
to establish whether they have had a recent visit recorded and have presented with exacerbating
mental health conditions. Exclusion criteria will be patients with shelter solutions in place for
greater than one month, individuals without mental health conditions, and any persons with
mental health conditions requiring emergency interventions. The chief psychiatrist will
determine whether the patients can offer informed consent based on the severity of their mental
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health conditions and alcohol/or drug abuse history. Once the participants are selected, they will
be contacted using phone calls, emergency contact lists, or in-person during clinical visits. Given
the participants’ urgent need for housing solutions, their eager agreement to participate in the
project is expected. Once recruited, the participants will be asked to read, agree to, and sign
informed consents to participate.
Planned Implementation Steps
The planned recruitment which will occur over one to two weeks. The participants will
be informed that their participation in the project is strictly voluntary. A brief “teaching moment”
either one-on-one or in a group will be provided in the clinic regarding the specifics of the
project. If the participants agree to be part of the project, they will sign the informed consent
form. To begin, the project manager and/or relevant team members will collect baseline data and
alcohol and/or substance use data. Then, the project manager will collect pre- implementation
data on severity of mental illnesses and satisfaction level with shelter services offered in the past
using a project manager developed Likert-type scale. Once all pre-implementation data has been
collected, the participants will be assigned and taken to one of the two group homes..
Additionally, each group home will have six mental health technicians (MHT), providing 24/7
coverage to ensure supervised care is offered to the participants. Each shift will have two MHT
who reside at the group home. Pre-implementation efforts have been made to train relevant team
members, including MHT, on how to offer supervised and friendly care, and how to meet the
project objectives. Afterward, the project implementer, with the help of responsible team
members, will collect bi-weekly data for a period of 8-10 weeks. Treatment as usual (TAU) will
continue, as per the specifications of the relevant specialists at the clinical site, and per
organizational policies during the project duration. Once the period of the project has elapsed,
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the project manager will evaluate the collected data, write required reports, and present findings
to relevant authorities and stakeholders. At the end, the project manager will transition the
participants to the clinical site management for TAU continuation as necessary and close the
project with the team members.
High-Level Goals for Population Health
Two main high-level goals include the improvement of the overall health and mental
well-being of the TAY patient population of homeless individuals. This population is generally
economically and socially disadvantaged. Mental health issues are part of the cause of
homelessness for some and the result for others (Ellsworth, 2020). Exacerbation of mental health
illnesses occurs for young adult males who are homeless as a result of the harsh street life they
face. Another goal is achieving equitable care for disadvantaged or marginalized patient
populations. The transitioning young adult males are perceived as strong and capable of taking
care of themselves on the streets; however, it is not the case as they face multiple challenges
including predatory crime, fights and gang violence, drug and/or alcohol abuse, and
victimization (Ellsworth, 2019; Genuchi, 2019). Eventually, they can fall into depression and
face suicidal ideation (Genuchi, 2019).
Planned Outcomes
First, by implementing standardized screening tools and a re-homing protocols, is there
successful transition of TAY into the group homes and remain during the duration of the project.
Is their mood and depression affected during their stay in the group home when re-evaluated.
Evaluate satisfaction with the group homes standardized housing initiative compared to other
temporary previously used shelter options
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Plan for Data Management
Project evaluation occurs at the end of the project life cycle, as a way to appraise the
project for effectiveness. Melnyk and Fineout-Overholt (2019) note that the goal of a project
evaluation is to discover if a project achieved beneficial outcomes or not. The attainment of
better patient outcomes supports the application or adoption of the project methods or protocols
in an organizational change. To conduct a project evaluation, data needs to be collected before,
after or during project implementation. Such data includes demographic data describing the
participants and outcome data on the measured variables.
Plan for Demographic Data Collection.
Demographic data describes the population of interest at a personal level. The project will
collect demographic data on age, ethnicity, educational level and ability to use computers. Age
and ethnicity data will describe the participants in terms of their individuality. Educational level
and ability to use computers will describe the participants in terms of the need for skills training.
The data collection process will use pre coded computer database software to de-identify
participants.
Plan for Outcome Data Collection and Measurement
Outcome 1- Severity of Mental Health Conditions’ Symptoms. The outcome will be
based on diagnosed mental health disorders. Anxiety and depression are expected to be some of
the mental health disorders (Genuchi, 2019). The severity will be important to measure over the
course of the project period to determine effectiveness of intervention. The data evaluation tool
will be a self-reporting 7 point Likert scale type survey with 6 items created by the project
implementer. Descriptive statistics will be used to calculate pre and post intervention means as
well as mean-based percentage changes. A benchmark of 30 percent improvement is predicted.
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Outcome 2- Rates and Severity of Alcohol and/or Drug Abuse. The measurement for
the rate (presence or absence) and severity of alcohol/or drug abuse in the population of the
participants will be carried out. The data evaluation tool will be a self-reporting 5 point Likert
scale type survey with 5 items created by the project implementer. Descriptive statistics will be
used to calculate pre and post intervention means as well as mean-based percentage changes. A
benchmark of 20 percent improvement is set.
Outcome 3- Satisfaction Level with Group Homes Standard Protocol. The
measurement for satisfaction level with the standardized group homes protocol will be
undertaken. The data evaluation tool will be a self-reporting survey with 8 items, 4 using short
forms of 5 point Likert scales and 4 close-ended questions. Descriptive statistics will be used to
calculate pre and post intervention means as well as mean-based percentage changes. A
benchmark of 40 percent improvement in satisfaction level is predicted.
Plan for Data Management
Handling of the project data requires strict adherence to laws and regulations regarding
human subjects. IRB requirements necessitate explaining how data for the project will be
handled and by which team members. The anonymity, confidentiality, and privacy of the
electronic data will be restricted to the clinic setting only. Patient codes will be used instead of
names during the project to promote confidentiality and anonymity. Informed consents will be
administered to the participants and duly signed, including clauses promising protection of
privacy and confidentiality. Project data and materials will be stored in a password protected
workstation and in a second layer password or encryption protected software. Only the project
manager, facility director, and on request, faculty will be allowed to access the project data. Data
will be reported in aggregate form only.
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Summary
Project planning is used to describe specific details of the project implementation
process. All components of the project at hand, decreasing exacerbation of mental health
illnesses among young adult males by use of standardized screening and housing protocols, were
described. The project setting, outcomes, goals, participants, and other details were offered.
Plans for collection and handling of relevant project data were described. As such, the project
plan is a blueprint to be used during the project implementation stage.
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References
Ellsworth, J. T. (2019). Street crime victimization among homeless adults: A review of the
literature. Victims & Offenders, 14(1), 96-118.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15564886.2018.1547997
Genuchi, M. C. (2019). The role of masculinity and depressive symptoms in predicting suicidal
ideation in homeless men. Archives of Suicide Research, 23(2), 289-311.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13811118.2018.1428705
Harris, J. L., Roussel, L., Dearman, C., & Thomas, P. L. (2020). Project planning and
management: A guide for nurses and interprofessional teams (3rd ed.). Jones and
Bartlett.
Henwood, B. F., Redline, B., & Rice, E. (2018). What do homeless transition-age youth want
from housing interventions? Children and Youth Services Review, 89, 1-5.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.04.014
Pierce, S. C., Grady, B., & Holtzen, H. (2018). Daybreak in dayton: assessing characteristics and
outcomes of previously homeless youth living in transitional housing. Children and
Youth Services Review, 88, 249-256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.03.021
Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2019). Evidence-based practice in nursing &
healthcare: A guide to best practice (4th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
