Introduction
The health care sector has numerous professions and among the many is nursing with various areas of specialties. Nurses are experts in the caregiving of unspecific diseases in any environment. These different areas of specialists help them work in all settings. According to Khanbodagh et al. (2019), nurses represent the largest group in the health field in the United States and provide the initial contact with patients in many cases, putting them in a position where they can significantly help reduce oral health issues. The presentation will focus on the pediatric nurse specialization. Pediatric practitioners deal with infants to adolescents. Generally, their role is to treat, observe and diagnose young patients. The presentation will discuss the changes required to improve operations in this field.
Evidence-Based Projects
Evidence-based projects are vital in the nursing profession. Following Lott et al. (2020), the emphasis on evidence-based practice (EBP) in nursing to improve patient outcomes continues to grow, but inconsistencies remain in its implementation across organizations. The evidence-based projects have been beneficial to health care practitioners. They take risks and are more knowledgeable in diagnosis. Additionally, they are well prepared for challenges and can overcome them easily. They advance patient care and treatment. Evidence-based practices offer efficient diagnosis and improve medical protocols. According to Lott et al. (2020), engaging more clinical nurses in Evidence-Based Practices implementation as part of a culture of inquiry is essential to fostering high-quality, safe, and cost-effective patient care. Nurses should consider the implementation of Evidence-based projects always.
Conceptual Model
Stetler’s evidence-based practice model uses 6 phases: preparation, validation of the evidence, comparative evaluation, decision-making, refinements to provide implementation/translation and application, and assessment of outcomes (Indra, 2018). It applies in the evidence-based practice in concluding researches. In addition, according to Indra (2018), it has been updated and refined to fit in the evidence-based project paradigm and summarizes the criteria to forward an issue in nursing. The model is practical and has been applied in the various health sector. The model considers both internal and external factors. Generally, conceptual models help reducing difficulties in implementation. Nurses are rooted in research and shreds of evidence in patient care and diagnosis. Nurses should then consider identifying relevant models they can apply.
Area of Interest
Disruptive behavioral problems such as temper tantrums, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional, defiant, or conduct disorders are the most typical behavioral problems in preschool and school-age children (Ogundele, 2018). Children’s care and attention determine their outcome in the future. Parents, caregivers, and pediatricians should be keen on their development and behavioral stage. According to Ogundele (2018), childhood behavior and emotional problems with their related disorders have significant negative impacts on the individual, the family, and society. Developmental-behavioral pediatrics plays many critical roles in academic medicine and community advocacy. It is essential in advancing the growth and care of young patients. Therefore, pediatricians should encourage the connection between children and their parents or guardians.
Issue/Concern and Recommendation for Change
Children’s development has several issues; for instance, kids can develop disorders such as unusual sleeping hours and poor nutrition. Development-behavioral change should be considered with close attention. A child can develop different disorders such as temper tantrums, fine motor delays, cognitive delays, often crying, emotional delays, and aggression. It should be of critical concern to the parents, caregivers, guardians, and the community. Development- behavioral change should be of proficiency to the pediatricians. Society must be sensitized to the changes that might occur. Following Idris (2017), emotional and behavioral problems among children have been increasing in many western as well as eastern countries. Recommendations include that the pediatricians should be trained on development-behavioral change. Additionally, the parents and guardians should be close to their children.
Factors Influencing Change
These factors affect the goals and objectives of the practitioners. External factors that can cause change are: patient illness, patient cooperation, inflation and unemployment, politics, technology, environment, social interaction, patient socio-demographic variables, and physician socio-demographic factors. Patients have a great influence on the change in health care. Their satisfaction and treatment determine the operation of the health care. Most if not all services in health care services deal with patients. They are the stakeholders of the hospital. Internal factors are; availability of resources, cultural values, personal values, the performance of the facility, relationships in work, leadership, and finances. Both of these factors can either lead to change or not. They can be a hindrance in implementing change in health care.
NONPF Competencies
In the development of the nurse practitioner (NP) population-focused competencies, a task force had extensive discussions of competencies vs. Content (Thomas et al., 2017). The core competencies are a guide in carrying out the daily task. The core competencies that aid in evidence-based practices are quality competencies and leadership. Quality competencies in the provision of quality service are based on previous research. It uses the best available evidence to continuously improve the quality of clinical practice (Thomas et al., 2017). Leadership is always the key to any success of an organization. According to Thomas et al. (2017), a leader should communicate practice knowledge effectively, both orally and in writing. The leaders ensure that evidence-based practices are implemented. Other core competencies are; practice inquiry competencies, scientific foundation competencies, technology and information literacy competencies, and policy competencies.
Conclusion
Advancement in medical protocols and diagnosis is essential, and evidence-based practice should be used. Consideration of how the models work facilitates evidence-based practice projects and provides guidelines for evidence critique. It also guides the process for implementing practice change. Additionally, the core competencies must be implemented. The policies set in the NONPF are a guide, thus, all nurses are directed in providing better services. They learn through experience and pieces of evidence. Diagnosis changes with time; hence being updated is vital. The nurses should understand the need for change and they should be aware of where to apply it. Moreover, the strategies and recommendations must be clear and practical.
References
Idris, I. B. (2017). Emotional and behavioural problems among children: Issues and trends in Malaysia. International Journal of Public Health Research, 7(2), 829-835.
Indra, V. (2018). A Review on models of evidence-based practice. Asian Journal of Nursing Education and Research, 8(4), 549- 552.
Khanbodaghi, A., Natto, Z. S., Forero, M., & Loo, C. Y. (2019). Effectiveness of interprofessional oral health program for pediatric nurse practitioner students at Northeastern University, United States. BMC Oral Health, 19(1), 1-8.
Lott, T. F., Hughes, R. G., & Johnson, E. (2020). The implementation of an evidence-based practice mentoring program. The Journal of Excellence in Nursing Leadership, 51(4), 11-14.
Ogundele, M. O. (2018). Behavioural and emotional disorders in childhood: A brief overview for paediatricians. World Journal of Clinical Pediatrics, 7(1), 9.
Thomas, A., Crabtree, M. K., Delaney, K., Dumas, M. A., Kleinpell, R., Marfell, J., & Wolf, A. (2017). Nurse practitioner core competencies content. The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. Web.