Introduction
On the basis of information collected from the practicum hours allocated to present the approved interventions to the patient, the key points of information can be derived. The latter includes the fact that the meeting data took place on 18 March 2022. The meeting lasted for three hours in total at the patient’s and her family’s home. The problem being addressed is coronavirus or COVID-19, which has a great deal of relevance under the current public health conditions. COVID-19 was a problem because the virus infected the patient, who is an older woman with rapid fatigue, general weakness, and headaches. The intervention was based on educative communication efforts to facilitate the use of a stepping-down approach with an element of family unit involvement with an emphasis on vaccination and adherence to governmental regulations. The patient and family applied the intervention fully and accordingly.
The intervention will be used for the duration of the infection and in a less restrictive manner after the recovery. Due to the stepping-down approach, it was challenging in the beginning but became easier by the end. The key difficulty was explaining the importance of immunization in the face of misinformation. Instructions were necessary to protect the patient and create an environment facilitative of recovery as well as preventing the further spread of the virus among family members. The family had been affected by misinformation, but they were able to become more educated and knowledgeable on the subject. The family will undergo immunization with vaccines and follow the regulatory recommendations and mandates provided by the government. The intervention was positive because misinformed beliefs would have resulted in risky and harmful behaviors. The effect can be measured by assessing the recovery and infections within the family.
Assessing The Contribution of the Intervention to Patient or Family Satisfaction and Quality of Life
It is important to note that the selected family-oriented stepping-down intervention impacted family satisfaction and quality of life negatively due to the restrictive measures being undertaken first. It is reported that “measures that have been taken in many countries to control the spread of the coronavirus are having a disruptive effect on relationships in general and family relationships specifically” (Luttik et al., 2020, p. 87). Similarly, the patient and her family members were forced to realize the dangers of not taking the virus and preventative measures seriously. Although they might not have been concerned about their personal wellbeing and health enough to undertake these measures, the fact that their inaction endangers the entire family was the key motivator for becoming more aware and proactive. Being more cautious and strict in adhering to government regulations reduced their quality of life and family satisfaction because they needed to be isolated and checked regularly.
The patient’s and her family’s feedback was understanding of the proposed intervention since they were properly educated on the matter through my efforts of limiting the impact of misinformation and promoting adherence to factual evidence. Although some family members were displeased with the necessary precautions, they were open-minded and prudent. For example, the grandson of the patient was initially not willing to become follow the prescribed protocol of actions but changed his mind by understanding the risk. My family-oriented stepping-down intervention enhances the patient’s and family’s experience by introducing the most restrictive and harsh changes first, which become more relaxed later. A study suggests that the stepping-down approach is the most effective method to promote personal caution against COVID-19 (Kennedy et al., 2020). Since the family and patient were quickly accustomed to the strictest measures, the following stages were effortless, which enhanced their experience of becoming more protected against the virus.
Description of The Use of Evidence and Peer-Reviewed Literature to Plan and Implement the Capstone Project
It should be noted that the proposed and integrated efforts were based solely on literature and evidence. Firstly, one should understand that the patient was an older woman, and it is stated that “age-related decline and dysregulation of immune function, i.e., immunosenescence and inflammaging play a major role in contributing to heightened vulnerability to severe COVID-19 outcomes in older adults” (Chen et al., 2021, p. 1). In other words, implementing the most effective interventions was of paramount and urgent importance since the patient is in the vulnerable group. It is reported that “anti-IL-6 therapy and immunization with COVID-19 vaccines” comprise the basis of interventional strategies when the older individuals are involved (Chen et al., 2021). Thus, the educative measure was centered around promoting and facilitating vaccination and immunization among all family members. Since the patient was already infected, she needed to recover effectively before being able to get a vaccine.
Secondly, it is critical to understand that COVID-19 is a family affair due to the nature of all viral diseases. It is stated that “the assumption that disease and its prevention is a family affair is manifested in the full spectrum and scale of the current coronavirus pandemic” (Luttik et al., 2020, p. 87). In other words, the intervention had to be designed in a family-oriented manner and not with a sole focus on the patient herself. Thirdly, the stepping-down element is reported to be “the best long-term SD strategy to minimize the peak number of active COVID-19 cases and associated deaths” (Kennedy et al., 2020, p. 1). Therefore, the intervention needs to avoid a gradual implementation of restrictive instructions but rather apply all of the harshest measures first with subsequent reduction until the family is vaccinated. Thus, the principles of evidence-based practice informed this aspect of my project by providing insightful data and examples of effective actions.
Assessing The Degree to Which I Successfully Leveraged Health Care Technology in My Capstone Project to Improve Outcomes or Communication with The Patient and Her Family
The utilization of technology in the capstone project was the weakest point of the practice. The main reason is the fact that the case did not present many opportunities to integrate a healthcare technology to begin with, which meant that it was easy to overlook such moments. However, some health care technology can be used in future practice telemedicine and the use of social media to fight misinformation with factual data. In addition, specific wearable devices can be used in order to engage in contact tracking, symptom prediction, and remote monitoring in real-time. Therefore, there are opportunities to conduct the intervention with a higher degree of safety since no close contact will take place with the patient and family members.
Explanation On How Health Policy Influenced the Planning and Implementation of My Capstone Project, As Well as Any Contributions the Project Made to Policy Development
The planning and implementation of the capstone project were heavily impacted by policies in regard to local standards and regulations, patient safety, care coordination, and quality of care. The project contributed to increased awareness about these policies through patient education measures. For example, a specific observation was made that educative practice is key in improving the safety and competence among the patient and her family members, which meant that telemedicine could become a part of the current policy structure, such as fighting misinformation and advancing knowledgeability.
Explanation On Whether Capstone Project Outcomes Matched My Initial Predictions
When it comes to improving the recovery process of the patient, the expectations were exceeded due to a high degree of cooperation from the family and patient. However, it fell short in the case of integrating healthcare technology, such as telemedicine, which is highly suitable for COVID-19. The intervention most likely will not be adopted as a best practice because significant improvements can be made in regards to using telemedicine and more effective education with higher use of factual evidence. The generalizability of the intervention is high, which is why it is applicable outside the given setting. The family-oriented stepping-down approach can be used in many settings where immediate change and cooperation are needed.
Conclusion: Assessing My Personal and Professional Growth Throughout the Capstone Project and The RN-To-BSN Program
In conclusion, the family-oriented stepping-down educative intervention was used to improve the COVID-19 outcome for the elderly patient and her family. Throughout the project, I was able to demonstrate a strong adherence to the core professional standards of honesty, transparency, competence, and ethicality. I am personally proud of my success in ensuring that the entire family committed to becoming vaccinated against COVID-19 despite the being initially upholding harmful beliefs based on misinformation. In other words, my care excelled in the communication and education of my patients.
References
Chen, Y., Klein, S. L., Garibaldi, B. T., Li, H., Wu, C., Osevala, N. M., Li, T., Margolick, J. B., Pawelec, G., & Leng, S. X. (2021). Aging in COVID-19: Vulnerability, immunity and intervention. Ageing Research Reviews, 65, 1-11. Web.
Kennedy, D. M., Zambrano, G. J., Wang, Y., & Neto, O. P. (2020). Modeling the effects of intervention strategies on COVID-19 transmission dynamics. Journal of Clinical Virology, 128, 1-7. Web.
Luttik, M. L., Mahrer-Imhof, R., Garcia-Vivar, C., Brodsgaard, A., Dieperink, K. B., Ostergaard, B., Svavarsdottir, E. K., & Konradsen, H. (2020). The COVID-19 pandemic: A family affair. Journal of Family Nursing, 26(2), 87–89. Web.