NRS 465 Capstone Change Project Evaluation Plan

Sample Answer

Implementing capstone change projects needs an effective evaluation plan to determine the effectiveness of the proposed interventions. Project managers and teams evaluate the effectiveness of proposed change interventions based on set objectives by focusing on outcomes, collected data, and utilization of appropriate tools (Melnyk et al., 2022).

The purpose of this paper is to describe an evaluation plan for the proposed capstone change project on improving medication adherence among elderly patients with chronic conditions using a mobile application.

Part I Evaluation Plan

Project Objective (Goal) Measurable Project Outcome What data will be collected to measure this outcome? What tool will be used to collect the data? Who will be responsible for collecting data?

Improve medication adherence among elderly patients with chronic conditions The measurable outcome of this project is to increase medication adherence by 30% among elderly patients with chronic conditions in three months. Observational data will be collected daily and weekly and compiled by nurses attending to patients based on the application.

The data will include several alerts, text messages, and reminders for each patient. Nurses will use various tools to collect the data. These include charts, application-enabled alerts and reminders, and reports.

For instance, nurses will compile reports daily and weekly detailing their observations, charts, and text messages and alerts received per patient to determine a reduction or rise in the frequency of non-adherence. Nurses will collect data from patients at the bedside and compile it based on the parameters provided in the application.

Empower patients to make better decisions and choices in medication adherence Better understanding of medication adherence aspects by patients, their families, and nurses to reduce risk factors for poor medication adherence rates.

The data from this objective will entail satisfaction surveys on patients in making decisions and choices. The team will use satisfaction surveys before, during, and after the implementation to determine the effects of the intervention on the patient’s ability to make decisions and choices on improving medication adherence with the help of the application. Nurses will collect data by administering the surveys to patients.

Improve poly-pharmacy and manage comorbidity for patients with two or more diagnoses. Enhanced management of poly-pharmacy at individual levels among the patients with comorbid conditions. Data will include the number of medications per patient, the number of illnesses or diagnoses, and the frequency of taking medicines. For instance,

• How many patients have poly-pharmacy? The nurse will use a chart to collect data about this objective. The chart will indicate the number of medications and frequency (Liu et al., 2023). A before and after implementation tool will be used to determine the effects of implementing the application. Nurses and nurse managers will collect the data.
  

Improve inter-professional collaboration and approach to patient health promotion. Effective communication and coordination among providers dealing with diverse patients suffering from chronic conditions and using more than one type of medication. The team will use a survey through a questionnaire for all providers to state their experience before and after the implementation of the proposed project. For instance, the questionnaire will ask;

• Has care improved after implementing the proposed change project? The team will use a questionnaire to collect data. Nurses will collect the data.

Part II Communication Plan

How will the data collected be communicated to the team?

The team will collect the data as outlined in the evaluation plan for three months. After this time, the team will collate and analyze the data to determine core themes emanating from the proposed change project.

The team will use descriptive statistics to demonstrate the overall effect of the proposed intervention on patients and healthcare providers. The team will prepare comprehensive weekly and monthly reports for presentation to the organizational leaders and managers who will review and evaluate concrete steps and actions by the facility to improve care delivery and address the issue of poor medication adherence among elderly patients (Cao et al., 2024).

After the review by the executive managers and leaders, the team will present their findings through staff meetings and special sessions. These sessions and discussions will occur during breaks, especially lunch breaks, where the nursing staff and other providers will access the information and apply it in their practice to reduce non-adherence to medication.

Conclusion

Evaluating a proposed capstone project is important to determine its effectiveness in addressing the identified issue. The proposed intervention of using mobile applications to enhance medication adherence among elderly patients, especially those with comorbidity, is important and will have several yet critical outcomes like improving inter-professional collaboration and communication.

The evaluation plan ensures that set objectives and measures meet the desires of the target population. The project will use appropriate tools to collect data and analyze it to determine the effectiveness of the proposed intervention.

References

• Cao, W., Wang, J., Wang, Y., Hassan, I. I., & Kadir, A. A. (2024). mHealth App to improve Medication adherence among older adult stroke survivors Development and usability study. Digital Health, 10, 20552076241236291.
  https //doi.org/10.1177/20552076241236291
  
• Liu, J., Yu, Y., Yan, S., Zeng, Y., Su, S., He, T., … & Yue, X. (2023). Risk factors for self-reported medication adherence in
  community-dwelling older patients with multi-morbidity and poly-pharmacy a multicenter cross-sectional study. BMC
  Geriatrics, 23(1) 75. DOI https //doi.org/10.1186/s12877-023-03768-7
  
• Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2022). Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare A guide to best practice. Lippincott
  Williams & Wilkins.