The paper is devoted to the improvement of care delivery models regarding children under the age of 5 years old. The fact is that the lack of clinical competence among parents and their inability to provide appropriate care to children significantly impact this group’s health. For this reason, the change plan presupposing the use of telehealth and other innovations to improve care coordination and results is introduced and discussed.
Change Model Overview
The task mentioned above can be accomplished by utilizing the ACE Star Model Evidence-Based Practice Process. It provides a cycle of knowledge transformation through the inclusive framework (Correa-de-Araujo, 2016). It is composed of the five critical stages such as discovery, evidence summary, transition into practice, integration with the existing environment, and evaluation (Correa-de-Araujo, 2016). The utilization of this model will help to conduct in-depth research of the selected issue and create an effective intervention and transformation plan that considers all critical elements.
The Scope of the EBP
Thus, the unwillingness of parents to hospitalize their children complicates numerous health outcomes among children under the age of 5 years old. The primary cause of the concerns is the lack of clinical competence among parents and their consequent inability to provide adequate care for their child. For instance, 32% of children in the USA are overweight; however, their parents disregard the problem and do not address specialists. (Janicke et al., 2014). It threatens the health of the nation and the quality of people’s lives. The use of telehealth and other technological interventions may improve care coordination and result in improved health outcomes for the target population group without requiring changes in their perceptions and behavior.
Stakeholders
Regarding the nature of the problem, the following stakeholders should be involved.
These include:
- A pediatrician
- A nurse educator
- A specialist in health IT
- An accounting manager
The inclusion of these members is critical for the project as they will guarantee positive outcomes and consideration of essential critical elements of the transition process.
Responsibility of Team Members
First, an experienced pediatrician should be engaged to explain the threat of the lack of knowledge and the necessity to address physicians in time. Moreover, a nurse educator to explain the peculiarities of telehealth and other innovations to both patients and workers is needed (van Dyk, 2014). A specialist in nursing informatics should become responsible for the creation of the demanded framework. Finally, a financial manager should be involved to consider theoretical spending and devoted costs to the project.
Evidence
During the research, evidence from various sources was found. First of all, literature related to the issue is analyzed. Second, the existing overviews of patients’ preferences and clinical expertise are assessed. They help to outline the efficiency of telehealth and other innovations along with the opportunity of their implementation regarding the existing EBP and clinical practice guidelines.
Summary
In general, the majority of authors discussing the given problem emphasize the fact that it can be solved by utilizing intervention aimed at the improvement of the coordination of patient care. Thus, Vigil et al. (2015) state that the application of telehealth in families with children suffering from long-term health conditions can become a beneficial method to improve parents’ understanding of the roots of these diseases and provide their children with appropriate care. Janicke et al. (2014) support this idea and outline positive results that can be achieved by using the suggested intervention such as telehealth, social media use, and innovative communicational patterns. Korhonen, Nordman, and Eriksson (2016) admit the positive impact of technologies on patient care and parents’ ability to promote their children’s recovery.
Recommendations for Change Based on Evidence
In such a way, it can be recommended to alter the existing practices by replacing them with the interventions mentioned above. These are telehealth, technology-aided and social media-based approaches that presuppose better coordination with parents and enhanced outcomes regarding various health conditions or issues.
Translation
Action Plan
- Calculation of expected spending
- Education for parents affected by the program
- Implementation of new methods (telehealth, technology-aided and social media-based interventions)
- Provision of care regarding the new framework
- Collection of data about the change
- Evaluation
- Reporting to main stakeholders of the process
The planned timeline for the project is six months, with follow-ups at three and six months.
Process Outcomes Evaluation and Reporting
The desired outcomes of the suggested intervention are the increase of knowledge among problematic conditions of health issues among parents with children aged under 5, it-time provision of care, and improved results. They can be measured via a survey among participants and by comparing reports about health outcomes at the beginning and end of the transformation. The key stakeholders can get results of the project via the Internet by downloading fact sheets from a site.
Next Steps
At the national level, the suggested approach can be used to ensure that all parents will acquire the level of knowledge needed for the successful provision of care to their children. All health facilities in the state can be recommended to implement the given method to improve coordination with parents and treatment outcomes. Governmental support to the program to ensure that its implementation remains permanent can be needed.
Disseminate Findings
The findings of the research and transformation can be incorporated into a report distributed within the organization and other facilities to analyze the positive experience and use it in other health units across the state.
Conclusion
Altogether, the use of the ACE star model helped to create an effective intervention plan. The discovery of the problem of the lack of coordination was followed by the collection of evidence to support the basic assumptions, the transition of the created plans into action, and integration with the existing environment. Finally, the necessity to evaluate results was also emphasized. The approach can be maintained by showing its efficiency and role in the promotion of the health of the nation.
References
Correa-de-Araujo, R. (2016). Evidence-based practice in the United States: Challenges, progress, and future directions. Health Care for Women International, 37(1), 2-22. Web.
Janicke, D. M., Steele, R. G., Gayes, L. A., Lim, C. S., Clifford, L. M., Schneider, E. M.,… & Westen, S. (2014). Systematic review and meta-analysis of comprehensive behavioral family lifestyle interventions addressing pediatric obesity. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 39(8), 809-825.
Korhonen, E., Nordman, T., & Eriksson, K. (2016). Patients’ experiences of technology in care: A qualitative meta-synthesis. Archive of Nursing Practice and Care, 2(1). Web.
van Dyk, L. (2014). A review of telehealth service implementation frameworks. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 11(2), 1279-1298. Web.
Vigil, J., Kattlove, J., Calouro, C., Kwong, M. W., Litman, R., & Marcin, J. (2015). Realizing the promise of telehealth for children with special health care needs. Web.