Instructions
Identify a patient care situation that requires research to resolve an issue or create an improved plan of care. In order to resolve the issue or provide recommendations for the steps that would need to be taken to research the problem, you must first identify which steps would be the same in the nursing process or the problem-solving process.
Write an initial post of 200250 words summarizing the patient care situation and using the discussion prompts. Then, respond to at least two of your peers posts in a substantive manner.
Discussion Prompts
- Identify the steps you would take to research the problem.
- Compare and contrast the steps of the nursing process to the steps of researching a problem.
My response:A patient care situation which needs research-based resolution is the care of an elderly postoperative patient with uncontrolled pain. A 78 year old patient who had a total hip replacement comes in complaining of pain that is 8/10, but the care team is hesitant to increase the dose of opioids due to renal impairment in the patient’s history and a history of falls. A systematic approach, similar to that of the nursing process, is needed to address this dilemma. The research phase of the nursing process begins by stating the clinical question in the PICO format, which is similar to the assessment phase in which the nurse collects and analyzes patient data. Kawar et al. (2023) described research, evidence-based practice and quality improvement as problem solving processes which are essentially the same as the nursing process, in which the steps are to identify a problem, gather information, then solve the problem, implement the solution and evaluate the problem. This will include looking for current evidence in peer-reviewed databases like CINAHL and PubMed, critically appraising the evidence retrieved and synthesizing the information to create a better care plan for multimodal analgesia in elderly surgical patients. A scoping review conducted by Connor et al. (2023) yielded the same findings: the regular implementation of EBP results in better patient outcomes and improved efficiency within the healthcare system. Implementation and evaluation for both processes have the same steps, and involve the application of selected interventions and reassessment of the patient to see if the new care plan has effectively solved the identified problem.
References
Connor, L., Dean, J., McNett, M., Tydings, D. M., Shrout, A., Gorsuch, P. F., Hole, A., Moore, L., Brown, R., Melnyk, B. M., & Gallagher-Ford, L. (2023). Evidence-based practice improves patient outcomes and healthcare system return on investment: Findings from a scoping review. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 20(1), 615.
Kawar, L. N., Aquino-Maneja, E. M., Failla, K. R., Flores, S. L., & Squier, V. R. (2023). Research, evidence-based practice, and quality improvement simplified. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 54(1), 4048.
Peer1:As a nurse it is expected of us to critically think and solve problems. According to Hopp & Rittenmeyer (2020), problem solving is a generic process that describes part of the thinking and doing of nursing practice. It is a step-by-step sequence of defining the problem, identifying the possible causes, generating possible solutions, selecting the best solution, implementing it, and evaluating the effect on the problem. With currently being on the mental health clinical rotation, a patient care situation that comes to mind is a patient experiencing severe anxiety. In order to help resolve this issue or create an improved plan of care, I would need to research evidence-based strategies that would be beneficial and effective for reducing my patients anxiety and encouraging emotional stability. Steps I would take in researching the problem is identifying my patients symptoms, the cause or triggers, and identifying then comparing therapeutic nonpharmacological treatment options available. After researching I would apply my knowledge to the patients care and reevaluate and assess. The nursing process and research process are similar as they both start with identifying a problem which we do during our assessment. Then we gather the best available evidence by reviewing guidelines, scholarly resources, or other resources. The next step is planning and evaluating, this is where I would analyze data and implement it into my patient’s care and then evaluate and interpret my findings and reassess the patient to see if the interventions were effective.
Resources:
Andrew. (2025, November 18). Nursing Diagnosis Anxiety Care Plan A Complete Guide for Effective Support and Holistic Care. Brain Health USA.
Hopp, L., & Rittenmeyer, L. (2020). Introduction to Evidence Based Practice (2nd ed.). F. A. Davis Company.
Peer 2:A patient care situation which needs research-based resolution is the care of an elderly postoperative patient with uncontrolled pain. A 78 year old patient who had a total hip replacement comes in complaining of pain that is 8/10, but the care team is hesitant to increase the dose of opioids due to renal impairment in the patient’s history and a history of falls. A systematic approach, similar to that of the nursing process, is needed to address this dilemma. The research phase of the nursing process begins by stating the clinical question in the PICO format, which is similar to the assessment phase in which the nurse collects and analyzes patient data. Kawar et al. (2023) described research, evidence-based practice and quality improvement as problem solving processes which are essentially the same as the nursing process, in which the steps are to identify a problem, gather information, then solve the problem, implement the solution and evaluate the problem. This will include looking for current evidence in peer-reviewed databases like CINAHL and PubMed, critically appraising the evidence retrieved and synthesizing the information to create a better care plan for multimodal analgesia in elderly surgical patients. A scoping review conducted by Connor et al. (2023) yielded the same findings: the regular implementation of EBP results in better patient outcomes and improved efficiency within the healthcare system. Implementation and evaluation for both processes have the same steps, and involve the application of selected interventions and reassessment of the patient to see if the new care plan has effectively solved the identified problem.
References
Connor, L., Dean, J., McNett, M., Tydings, D. M., Shrout, A., Gorsuch, P. F., Hole, A., Moore, L., Brown, R., Melnyk, B. M., & Gallagher-Ford, L. (2023). Evidence-based practice improves patient outcomes and healthcare system return on investment: Findings from a scoping review. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 20(1), 615.
Kawar, L. N., Aquino-Maneja, E. M., Failla, K. R., Flores, S. L., & Squier, V. R. (2023). Research, evidence-based practice, and quality improvement simplified. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 54(1), 4048.
