Project Charter

Create a detailed, integrated Project Charter to address a healthcare gap, need, or improvement at your practicum site.

Introduction

In NHS-FPX8040, you prepared a preliminary Project Charter. At that time, you may not have secured your practicum site or preceptor yet. Now that these are in place, in this course you will delve more deeply into creating a Project Charter appropriate for your practicum site's needs. You may be able to use some of the Project Charter work you did in the previous course. At the same time, you may find you need to completely retool your work as it may no longer be appropriate for your practicum site. This is the changing nature of doctoral projects.  As we gather more information, doctoral projects change. Your ability to manage this ambiguity and change will be critical to your successful completion of your doctoral program.

In this assessment, you will create a detailed, integrated Project Charter to address a healthcare gap, need, or improvement at your practicum site. You will need to obtain input from your practicum site about how you can help to meet their needs. After submitting your Project Charter, you will receive your faculty member's feedback on your charter's alignment with department objectives, academic rigor, coherency, and readiness for Institutional Review Board (IRB) submission.

Preparation

Note: Use the  Project Charter Template [DOCX] to complete this assessment.

To successfully prepare for this assessment, you will need to:

· Ensure that your project aligns with your practicum site expectations and the DNP expectations for doctoral projects.

1. Consult this resource for guidance:  Acceptable vs. Unacceptable SoNHS DNP Projects [PDF].

1. Definition of Research.

· Conduct a comprehensive review of the literature to gather data that will support your identified need, intervention, and assessment "instrument(s)":

1. Focus your research on current resources available through peer-reviewed articles and professional and government websites. Current means less than five years old.

1. Use these research guides for help in identifying scholarly and authoritative sources:

2. Nursing Doctoral (DNP) Research Guide.

2. Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing & Health Sciences.

Instructions

For this assessment, you will populate the three parts of the Project Charter template with detailed information. Use the  Project Charter Proposal Checklist [PDF] to ensure all content is included. Faculty will use the checklist to provide additional feedback.

· Part I includes these sections:

1. Project Name.

1. Project Site.

1. Contact at Site.

1. Preceptor.

1. Executive Sponsor.

1. Gap Analysis.

1. Evidence to Support the Need.

1. PICOT.

1. Project Aim.

· Part II includes these components:

2. Stakeholders.

2. Team Leader.

2. Team Members.

2. Communication Plan.

4. Consider questions like these in your communication strategy: Will you hold an in-person or video conference-kickoff meeting? How will you communicate with all involved parties (email, telephone, periodic meetings, project tools, et cetera)?

2. Planned Intervention(s).

2. Framework.

2. Proposed Outcomes.

· Part III includes these sections:

3. Data Collection and Management.

3. Data Analysis.

3. SWOT Analysis and Business for Project.

In addition to populating your Project Charter, create a data collection sheet and submit that along with your Project Charter. A data collection sheet is a tool that is used to collect and organize data. It can also be defined as a worksheet that helps you to collect, process, and make sense of information from multiple data resources. For your data collection sheet, please create it in Excel. This will be used for collecting and analyzing your data.

Additional Requirements

· Format: Use the Project Charter Template provided.

· Written communication: Ensure written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.

· Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.

· Citations and References: Include current scholarly and/or authoritative sources to support your ideas. Current means no more than five years old.

· Title page: Develop a descriptive title of approximately 5–15 words for your project. It should stir interest, yet maintain professional decorum. Ensure that your title page conforms to APA format.

· Reference page: Include a final reference page that adheres to APA format.

· Data Collection Sheet: Make sure you also submit the data collection sheet you created.

· APA formatting: Follow APA formatting and style guidelines for citations and references.

Remove or Replace: Header Is Not Doc Title

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

PICOT: For the nursing and ancillary support staff of a primary care clinic (P), how does the fall risk management protocol (I) compare to current practice (C) affect fall rate (O) over 12 weeks (T)?

Brief Summary: Falls among older adults are a health concern that can have profound physical, psychological, and social implications. As the global population ages, addressing this issue becomes imperative to ensure the well-being and independence of older individuals (Arkkukangas et al., 2021). Fall rates have emerged as a concern within the primary care clinic. The present fall rate of our clinic is noted to be elevated at around 3 to 5 falls per month, the national rate is estimated at 700,000 to 1 million annual falls each year, contributing to a considerable proportion of adverse events and injuries. The healthcare expenses associated with falls impose a potentially financially burdensome amount on the clinic and patients, Medicare, for instance, expended approximately $28.9 billion in 2015 on medical expenses linked to nonfatal falls in the elderly. Falls can potentially undermine the reputation and diminish patient satisfaction with a healthcare facility (Elrod et al., 2023). In response to this matter, a proposed intervention involving the implementation of an evidence-based protocol for managing fall risks will be undertaken to effectively mitigate fall rates within the primary care context.

Primary Objective: To reduce to zero the incidence of falls within the primary care setting.

Secondary Objective:

1. Enhance staff compliance with falls assessment and reassessment.

2. Improve communication and reporting among healthcare professionals.

3. Actively engage the patient in the fall prevention protocol, fostering their awareness and commitment to reducing the risk of falls and thereby enhancing their safety and overall well-being.

Proposed Evidence-based Intervention(s):

1. Implementation of fall risk management protocol based on findings from Abd et al. (2022).

2. Development of interprofessional communication strategies informed by Brach et al. (2021).

3. Patient and family education on fall prevention strategies inspired by Choi et al. (2019).

PROJECT DESIGN AND METHODS

Project Design: Quality Improvement.

Model For Improvement : Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) Implementing a fall prevention project using the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle involves identifying fall risks, setting objectives, implementing evidence-based strategies, and continually assessing outcomes through iterative cycles of planning, action, evaluation, and adjustment. This systematic approach aims to reduce fall incidents by applying effective interventions and refining strategies based on data-driven insights.

Target Population Undergoing the Practice Change: The primary care clinic's nursing and ancillary support staff.

Inclusion Criteria: All registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, medical assistants, and nursing aides employed at the primary care clinic.

Exclusion Criteria: Patient less than 18 years old. Patients with terminal illnesses or conditions that significantly limit their life expectancy may not be suitable candidates for a fall prevention program with long-term benefits. Individuals currently experiencing acute medical conditions that require immediate attention or hospitalization might be excluded from the program until their medical condition stabilizes.

Estimated Project Length (weeks): 12 weeks (2-week pre-work, 8-week implementation, 2-week data collection and analysis)

OUTCOME MEASURES AND ANALYSIS

Primary Outcome Measures: Reduction in fall incidence at the primary care clinic.

Secondary Outcome Measures:

1. Compliance with falls assessment and reassessment.

2. Effectiveness of interprofessional communication strategies.

3. Patient and family satisfaction with fall prevention education.

Data Analysis and Results Reporting:

MEASURE	MEASURE TYPE	TYPE OF DATA COLLECTED	ANALYSIS METHOD	RESULTS REPORTING- DATA TYPE
Fall Incidence with and without injury	Outcome	Nominal	Descriptive Statistics	Rate
Staff Compliance with fall prevention	Process	Ordinal	Descriptive Statistics	Percentage
Communication	Process	Nominal	Descriptive Statistics	Frequency
Satisfaction	Outcome	Ordinal	Descriptive Statistics	Mean score

References

Abd, A. E., Schwab, C., Clementz, A., Fernandez, C., & Hindlet, P. (2022). Safety of elderly fallers: Identifying associated risk factors for 30-Day unplanned readmissions using a clinical data warehouse. Journal of Patient Safety, 18(3), 230–236. https://doi.org/10.1097/pts.0000000000000893

Arkkukangas, M., Bååthe, K. S., Ekholm, A., & Tonkonogi, M. (2021). A 10-week judo-based exercise program improves working-age adults' physical functions, such as balance, strength, and falling techniques. BMC Public Health, 21(1), 744. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10775-z

Brach, J. S., Juarez, G., Perera, S., Cameron, K., Vincenzo, J. L., & Tripken, J. (2021). Dissemination and Implementation of Evidence-Based Falls Prevention Programs: Reach and Effectiveness. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, 77(1), 164–171. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glab197

Choi, N. G., Choi, B. D., DiNitto, D. M., Marti, C. N., & Kunik, M. E. (2019). Fall-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations among community-dwelling older adults: Examination of health problems and injury characteristics. BMC Geriatrics, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-019-1329-2

Elrod, C. S., Pappa, S. T., Heyn, P. C., & Wong, R. A. (2023). Using an academic-community partnership model to deliver evidence-based falls prevention programs in a metropolitan setting: A community case study. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1073520. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1073520

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