DNP Project: Clinical guidelines for obesity management.
this project will also be conducted in a an outpatient clinic:
Identify practice problem or gap in practice related to the DNP Project (1-2 pages)
Identify team members and stakeholders for the DNP Project ( CEO, practice manager, medical assistants, providers)
Analyze organizational readiness related to the DNP Project (1-2 pages)
Analyze stakeholders to support the DNP Project (1 page plus the stakeholders analysis)
Conduct SWOT analysis for the DNP Project (2-3 pages)
Review the Organizational Readiness Assessment, Stakeholder Analysis, and SWOT Analysis templates provided in the Learning Resources.
please use the one that I already gave you for the other project.
Please submit each bullet point separately.
Clinical Guidelines for Obesity Management
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliations
Clinical Guidelines for Obesity Management
Effective management of obesity requires the implementation of multiple interventions aimed at promoting lifelong survival. Some of the strategies that have been found to have positive results in relation to obesity management include the use of drug therapy, weight loss programs including dietary and exercise interventions, and bariatric surgery (Tirthani & Quartuccio, 2021). Nursing interventions for obesity management should always follow clinical practice guidelines to prevent the development of complications. Nurses are expected to foster the implementation of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines in their settings to promote positive patient outcomes (Correa-de-Araujo, 2016). The focus of the DNP project will be to implement clinical guidelines to promote effective management of obesity in an outpatient clinic.
The Problem or Gap in Practice Related to the DNP Project
The practice problem related to the DNP project is the lack of proper implementation of clinical practice guidelines in the management of obesity. The problem is evidenced by the recent rise in emergency visits by obese patients after treatment. According to Wang et al. (2018), the use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines in health practice is associated with positive health outcomes. On the other hand, the lack of implementation of such guidelines leads to negative outcomes for patients, healthcare professionals, and the organization. Similarly, the identified problem is linked with negative outcomes for patients, healthcare professionals, and the organization at the practicum site. Emergency visits by obese patients are increasing the workload for healthcare professionals and are contributing to an economic burden for the outpatient clinic. The proposed change to help address the practice problem is the implementation of clinical guidelines by healthcare professionals working in the clinic.
The research question to guide the collection of evidence will follow the patient/population, intervention, comparison, outcome, and time (PICOT) format. The patient population will be obese patients, the intervention will be the implementation of clinical guidelines for obesity management, the comparison will be maintaining the current practice, the expected outcome will be a reduction in emergency visits, and the time period will be 3 weeks. The PICOT statement for the DNP project will be as follows;
“For obesity patients receiving care at the facility (P), does the implementation of clinical guidelines for obesity management (I) compared to current practice (C), reduce emergency visits (O) for a period of 3 weeks (T)?”
Team Members and Stakeholders for the DNP Project
Working with team members and stakeholders will enhance the realization of the desired results in the planned DNP project. The principal investigator can find it quite challenging to complete the project without involving stakeholders (Smith, 2000). In the proposed project, the same people who will serve as the team members will also serve as the stakeholders. They include; the Chief Executive Officer, the practice manager, medical assistants, nurses, the providers, as well as patients and their families. These team members and stakeholders will perform complementary roles to ensure that project activities are completed successfully and within schedule.
Organizational Readiness for the DNP Project
A change initiative becomes successful when the facility is ready to execute it. Therefore, the change leader should conduct an organizational readiness assessment to gain adequate information regarding the factors that might motivate the organization to implement proposed reforms. Such assessment generates insights that can guide the change leader to build strong teams, identify stakeholders, and continue with change implementation (Miake-Lye et al., 2020). Results of organizational readiness assessment also offer direction regarding issues that the investigator will have to improve to ensure the project’s success.
From the Organizational Readiness for Implementing Change (ORIC) Tool, it is evident that there are the right people at the table and their level of engagement with the problem is high enough to support change implementation. Considering the nature of the problem, the only external stakeholders are obese patients and their families. All the other parties are internal stakeholders because they are individuals who operate within the organization (Masefield et al., 2021). These stakeholders will form the team that the change leader will work with to ensure that the proposed change is successfully implemented.
The ORIC tool has generated high scores in almost all the elements assessed. The scores ranged between 4 and 5. From the results, employees in the organization are confident that the facility can get people invested in executing the change. They have also demonstrated commitment in executing the proposed reforms. The employees have promised that they will not only keep track of the progress but they will do whatever it takes to ensure that the change is successfully implemented. They have confidence in their organization, they want the change to be implemented, are confident that they can keep to the momentum, and that they are in a position to handle the potential challenges. The employees are not only determined to implement the change but they are also ready to coordinate tasks, are motivated, and are ready to manage the politics of implementing the proposed change initiative.
Overall, the organization is ready to implement the proposed reforms. This is evident from the responses gathered from the people who work in the facility. Therefore, the change leader should take advantage of this opportunity to execute the recommended reforms at the practicum site.
Stakeholder Analysis
The investigator needs support from both internal and external stakeholders to be able to implement the proposed project successfully at the practicum site. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the practice manager, medical assistants, nurses, the providers, as well as patients and their families are the stakeholders that will take part in the project. Patients and their families are external stakeholders while all the rest are internal stakeholders. It is important to analyze the profiles and roles of stakeholders to be able to understand the contributions that they will have to the project (Smith, 2000). Based on their positions, some of the stakeholders will approve activities at various stages before their execution. For example, the CEO will approve funding for the project in addition to possible changes in costs that the project might require. Some of the stakeholders such as the providers and the practice managers will have their daily routines disrupted due to the project. Additionally, the stakeholders will adhere to appropriate channels of communication with those occupying lower ranks having to report to their seniors in high leadership positions. Table 1 shows the results of stakeholder analysis.
Table 1: Stakeholder Analysis Results
Project Name: The implementation of clinical guidelines for obesity management to reduce emergency visits among patients with obesity.
Stakeholder Analysis
| Project Manager | [name] |
|
Stakeholder Role Profile
|
For each of the questions below answer the question: “Who…?”
| Question | All stakeholders that apply. | |
| 1. | Approves funding for this project? | Chief Executive Officer. |
| 2. | Approves functional requirements? | Chief Executive Officer. |
| 3. | Approves technical requirements? | Chief Executive Officer and Providers. |
| 4. | Approves design decisions? | Chief Executive Officer and Providers. |
| 5. | Approves changes to requirements? | Chief Executive Officer, providers, and practice managers. |
| 6. | Approves changes affecting schedule? | Providers and practice managers. |
| 7. | Approves changes affecting cost? | Chief Executive Officer. |
| 8. | Will use the product or service produced by the project? | Patients and their families. |
| 9. | Set the organizational goals that drive the necessity of this project? | Providers, nurses, and medical assistants. |
| 10. | Will assign people to the project team and determine the hours per day they work on the project? | Practice managers. |
| 11. | Approves contracts for suppliers? | Chief Executive Officer. |
| 12. | Is the manager or executive sponsoring this project (will use their authority on behalf of the project team to overcome organizational obstacles)? | Yes. |
| 13. | Will manage the project (provide leadership to assure tasks are assigned and completed on time, cost and schedule are monitored, issues are identified and resolved)? | Yes. |
| 14. | Represents organization policies governing this project? | Chief Executive Officer, Providers, and Nurses. |
| 15. | Represents regulations or laws affecting this project? | Chief Executive Officer. |
| 16. | Will have their work disrupted by this project? | Nurses, practice managers, providers. |
| 17. | Will have to change their systems or processes because of this project? | Providers, practice managers, and nurses. |
| 18. | Will benefit from this project? (If this is a large group, who will represent this group?) | Nurses as well as patients and their families. |
| 19. | Will perform the work on this project? (This includes all vendors and subcontractors as well as employees) | Nurses, providers, practice managers. |
| 20. | Will participate in phase-gate decisions to approve moving the project to the next phase? | Chief Executive Officer, providers, and nurses. |
| Stakeholder Alignment Questions
|
| Name: | Title: Chief Executive Officer (Internal stakeholder) | |
| 1. | What is their contribution to the project? | The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will contribute to the project by approving funding supplies, technical requirements, as well as functional requirements for the project. As the leader of the organization, the CEO is charged with the responsibility of directing the team towards achieving organizational goals in the proposed project (Hussain et al., 2018). |
| 2. | To whom do they report? | The CEO occupies the highest rank in leadership. |
| 3. | What authority do they have over the project? | The CEO has the highest authority over the project. |
| 4. | What is their goal for the project (what is their stake in the project) and how does it relate to their organization’s goal or other personal goals? (What makes this a ‘win’ for them?) | The CEO of the organization has a big stake in the project as the leader of the evidence-based practice team (Jones et al., 2020). His goal in the project is to ensure that the project succeeds to address the existing need. This goal relates to organizational goals in that it enhances the realization of the organization’s vision and mission. |
| 5. | Do they present a specific threat or opportunity? | The CEO presents an opportunity to change a practice issue in the organization (Jones et al., 2020). |
| 6. | What perception do you want them to have about the project? | The reception from the CEO in relation to the proposed project should be a positive one. |
| Name: | Title: Providers (Internal stakeholders) | |
| 1. | What is their contribution to the project? | The providers will contribute to the project by guiding the nurses through clinical practice guidelines for obesity management. The providers are charged with the responsibility of providing relevant guidance in relation to obesity management for the nurses to enable them to provide evidence-based and effective care (Hussain et al., 2018). |
| 2. | To whom do they report? | The providers report to the CEO. |
| 3. | What authority do they have over the project? | The authority of the providers is to design/develop clinical practice guidelines for obesity management that will bring positive outcomes for patients. |
| 4. | What is their goal for the project (what is their stake in the project) and how does it relate to their organization’s goal or other personal goals? (What makes this a ‘win’ for them?) | The goal of the providers is to ensure that nurses follow clinical guidelines for obesity management (Jones et al., 2020). His goal in the project is to ensure that the project succeeds to address the existing need. This goal relates to organizational goals in that it enhances the realization of the organization’s mission and vision. |
| 5. | Do they present a specific threat or opportunity? | The providers present an opportunity to change a practice issue in the organization (Jones et al., 2020) |
| 6. | What perception do you want them to have about the project? | The reception from the providers in relation to the proposed project should be a positive one. |
| Name: | Title: Nurses (Internal stakeholders) | |
| 1. | What is their contribution to the project? | Nurses are the stakeholders who will receive guidance on clinical guidelines for obesity management from the providers (Lehane et al., 2019; Sipes, 2020). |
| 2. | To whom do they report? | The nurses report to the providers. |
| 3. | What authority do they have over the project? | Nurses have the authority to adhere to clinical guidelines for obesity management when providing care to patients and their families (Lehane et al., 2019). |
| 4. | What is their goal for the project (what is their stake in the project) and how does it relate to their organization’s goal or other personal goals? (What makes this a ‘win’ for them?) | The goal of the nurses is to ensure that they are able to implement interventions that are supported by research (Jones et al., 2020). This goal relates to organizational goals in that it enhances the realization of the organization’s mission and vision (Lehane et al., 2019). |
| 5. | Do they present a specific threat or opportunity? | The nurses present an opportunity to change a practice issue among patients (Jones et al., 2020) |
| 6. | What perception do you want them to have about the project? | The reception from the nurses in relation to the proposed project should be a positive one. |
| Name: | Title: Patients and their Families (External stakeholders) | |
| 1. | What is their contribution to the project? | Patients and their families are the only external stakeholders in the proposed project. They will contribute to the project by receiving the care that nurses will provide (Lehane et al., 2019). |
| 2. | To whom do they report? | Patients and their families report to the nurses. |
| 3. | What authority do they have over the project? | Patients and their families have the authority to present any concerns regarding the care they are receiving from the healthcare providers (Jones et al., 2020). |
| 4. | What is their goal for the project (what is their stake in the project) and how does it relate to their organization’s goal or other personal goals? (What makes this a ‘win’ for them?) | The goal of patients and families is to be able to have improved health outcomes and not experience complications that might require emergency visits post-treatment (Jones et al., 2020). This goal relates to organizational goals in that it enhances the realization of the organization’s mission and vision (Lehane et al., 2019). |
| 5. | Do they present a specific threat or opportunity? | Patients and their families present an opportunity to change obesity management practices (Jones et al., 2020) |
| 6. | What perception do you want them to have about the project? | The reception from patients and families in relation to the proposed project should be a positive one. |
SWOT Analysis for the DNP Project
Conducting a SWOT analysis will enable the investigators to understand details about the outpatient clinic including its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). The project should aim to address a weakness that is clearly identifiable in the organization. The facility should rely on its strengths and take advantage of available opportunities to address possible weaknesses. Moreover, it should be careful to ensure that available threats do not affect the success of the project (Vlados & Chatzinikolaou, 2019). Combining these four aspects will enable the stakeholders to perform their roles effectively from the start to the end of the project.
A SWOT analysis provides insights as to whether the outpatient is in a position to execute the proposed change or not. The outpatient clinic takes pride in a number of strengths. These include extensive integration of technology into the healthcare delivery process, highly skilled and qualified nurses and physicians, as well as cultural competence which is a sign of respect for diversity. Its weaknesses include; the lack of adherence to clinical practice guidelines for obesity management, high costs of medical care, and nurse shortages. The opportunities that the clinic should explore to improve its operations include increasing collaboration among healthcare networks and the rise in community-based programs aimed at improving population health. Stiff competition from modern outpatient clinics focused on quality and safety and the rising number of COVID-19 patients which affects healthcare delivery in the outpatient clinic. Table 2 shows the SWOT analysis for the outpatient clinic.
Table 2: SWOT Analysis
| Strengths
· Integration of technology such as the electronic medical record system. · Highly skilled nurses · Qualified physician · Cultural competence and respect for diversity. |
Weakness
· The lack of adherence to clinical practice guidelines for obesity management · High costs of medical care · Nurse shortages
|
| Opportunities
· Increasing collaboration among healthcare networks. · The rise in community-based programs aimed at improving population health |
Threats
|
Conclusion
Implementing a change at the practicum site becomes less challenging when the nurse takes time to understand a number of issues in the organization. This assignment has provided details regarding the problem or gap in practice, the team members and stakeholders, organizational readiness assessment, stakeholder analysis, and SWOT analysis. The information will direct the successful implementation of the DNP project.
References
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