Evidence-Based Project Assignments

Week 1 assignment 3 Evidence-Based Project Proposal Project Overview: Title: Evidence Based Project-Proposal Description: As the course progresses over the 11 weeks, learners will develop a scholarly project that demonstrates an application of evidence to practice for substantive change. This project emphasizes critical appraisal and application of evidence-based research, scholarly writing, and critical thinking. The scholarly project will be submitted as a written paper in APA format/style. In addition, learners will present a summary of the final project orally or by creating a PowerPoint presentation. Learners will select one of the following types of projects related to their specific advanced role specialization and target population: Educational program Evidence-based healthcare policy change Evidence-based clinical issue or protocol Overview of the Evidence Based Project (EBP): In Week 1 of the course, students will identify an area of inquiry as a basis for practice change, and in Week 2, write their clinical question in PICOT format that will drive the literature search. Following approval of the practice change idea and the PICOT question by course faculty, in Week 3 students will begin their literature search and rapid critical appraisal (RCA) using the RCA checklists available in Appendix D of the course text (Melynk & Fineout-Overholt, 2011) and in Word format. The Search Tracker may be useful in organizing and tracking your search. Your evidence review will be completed in Week 4, resulting in a finished Evaluation Table containing only the “keeper” studies. In Week 5 you will synthesize the evidence to determine best evidence for your project. Faculty will continue to serve in the role of mentor as the student progresses through the remaining steps of the project. Weekly submissions will be used to monitor progress in the development of your proposal. It is recommended that upon receiving feedback from faculty on each section, you revise your work and add that section to build your final paper. Doing so as you proceed through the course will avoid last-minute work. When you began your study of evidence-based practice it was contrasted with the research process. The underlying goal of EBP is to appraise research and study its application to specific patient populations in order to identify best practices. In order to accomplish this, what must be included within your project is a research study. You will most likely compare pre-intervention data with post-intervention results. In come cases, statistical analysis will be necessary. Your proposal will include plans for this study. EBP Project Criteria Students will prepare a formal project proposal using APA format. Below is an outline for the final paper with the weeks where this content will be covered. Each week you will turn in parts of this outline as Dropbox assignments. The week each part will be due is indicated in the outline. After receiving feedback from faculty on each part submitted, it is recommended that you begin building your paper, adding the pieces where they belong. Since you will not be implementing this project, the results section has been omitted. This outline is consistent with the format used for journal articles when reporting results of evidence-based practice projects. Criteria and organization of final paper Abstract Part 1 Introduction – Week 2 Practice issue Summarize the practice issue in need of change providing background information about the organization (setting) and the perceived significance and severity of the problem Describe the specific aims of the project – what improved outcomes do you hope to achieve PICOT question – State your question in PICOT format, labeling each part with P-I-C-O-T in parentheses Significance – what is the significance of the issue in terms of poor outcomes, cost, etc. Part 2 – Week 3. 4, & 5 Evidence review and synthesis List the names of the databases you searched and if limited to a span of time, i.e., less than 5 years old Summarize “keeper” studies Summarize the synthesis of the body of evidence Part 3 – Week 6 Purpose of the project – include intervention Theoretical framework Clinical questions Part 4 – Week 7 Study design Setting/sample Confidentiality Procedure/intervention Instruments/scales and measurement of outcomes Data collection Part 5 – Weeks 8 & 9 Data analysis Outcomes expected Aligning stakeholders Appendices Evaluation Table – turned in Weeks 3 & 4 Synthesis Table – turned in Week 5 The paper provides evidence of synthesis of coursework, professional writing, and graduate level scholarship. Oral or Poster Presentation In addition to the written paper, students will present a summary of their project by submitting a professional Microsoft PowerPoint presentation. Criteria: Organize the presentation to include all required criteria of the EBP project proposal. Quality of presentation is professional and provides evidence of graduate level scholarship. This week’s Dropbox Assignment Keep in mind that this proposal will be developed piece by piece during the course. The Dropbox assignment this week provides you an opportunity to identify the problem or issue within your specialization that is in need of improvement and receive feedback from faculty. Review the grading criteria listed below as you begin this assignment. Note that you must pass all elements in order to move forward with your proposal development. Faculty will provide feedback either approving or asking that you resubmit prior to further development of your project. For this week’s assignment discuss the following: State your idea for your evidence-based project proposal including the rationale as to how it reflects an EBP project vs. a research project Very briefly describe the issue you will address, the intervention that you feel has research evidence (this may change later after you complete the literature search), and the expected outcomes Discuss how this project is relevant to your role specialization Week 2 assignment 2 Evidence Based Project Proposal For this week’s Dropbox assignment, you will submit Part 1 of the project proposal in a one-page APA formatted paper (excluding the cover page and reference page). Be sure to reflect on feedback from faculty and classmates from this week’s discussion. Include: Part 1: Introduction Summarize the practice issue in need of change providing background information and the perceived significance of the problem Describe the specific aims of the project – what improved outcomes do you hope to achieve State your question in PICOT format, labeling each part with P-I-C-O-T in parentheses Discuss the significance of the issue in terms of poor outcomes, cost, etc Week 3 assignment 2 Evidence Based Project Proposal This week you will begin the submission of Part 2 of the project proposal written in APA format. In a one-page APA paper, write a narrative that describes your search of the literature for evidence, which includes: List of the names of the databases you searched If limited to a span of time, i.e., less than 5 years old Using the appropriate Rapid Clinical Appraisal Tools, appraise one or two articles and add the information to your Evaluation Table to receive feedback from faculty. At this juncture, your table is a work in progress. You will complete it in Week 4. You will also turn in the Evaluation Table with two studies appraised (see below) and the Search Tracker for feedback on your search strategies. After receiving feedback from faculty, add what you have completed this week to Part 1 to begin to build your project proposal paper. Keep this in mind when completing this assignment, using a professional writing style in your narrative Week 4 assignment 2 Evidence Based Project Proposal This week you will submit the completed Evaluation Table that includes only your “keeper” studies. This will be added to your final paper as an Appendix. You will also turn in the Search Tracker so faculty can see the steps you took to locate the evidence. This will not become a part of your paper, but it is for feedback only should faculty deem that necessary. Week 5 assignment 2 Evidence Based Project Proposal For this week’s Dropbox assignment, you will complete Part 2 of your project proposal, the evidence review and synthesis section. This section consists of narrative descriptions of each study that forms the body of evidence. The length of this section will vary based on the number of studies that you include. The paper should be written in a scholarly fashion using APA format. For each article include in the narrative: Authors’ names, date of publication (included in the citation). Quality and level of evidence How significant (or not) the evidence is and why you think so. How are these articles relevant to change practice or policy for your specific practice site and population? If a study is not significant and you have included it, mention how your clinical expertise was involved in this decision. Your summary the synthesis section should clearly indicate the intervention you plan to use in your project proposal. You will discuss this in greater detail in the next section, but do leave the reader with the understanding of the intervention you chose. You will also turn in your completed Synthesis Table(s) that will become part of your Appendix in your final paper. Week 6 assignment 2 Evidence Based Project Proposal For your Dropbox assignment this week, you will write Part 3 of your project proposal. In a one- to two-page paper in APA format, include: Your clinical question How the clinical question indicates the type of study that will be done (quasi-experimental vs. experimental). Describe the type of study. Theoretical framework(s) chosen including a rationale for your choice Week 7 assignment 2 Evidence Based Project Proposal For your Dropbox assignment this week, you will write Part 4, the Methods section of your project proposal that consists of plans for conducting the study of the intervention and methods of evaluation. Use the titles of each bullet point in your paper. In a two- to three-page APA formatted paper: Study design: Briefly describe the study design indicated by the question (experimental, quasi-experimental, descriptive). Setting/sample: Briefly describe the setting for the study, who your study participants will be, and how these participants will be chosen. Will random sampling or a sample of convenience be used? Confidentiality: How will you protect the confidentiality of your participants? Procedures/intervention: Discuss the intervention you will implement and the procedures you will use in enough detail that others could replicate the study. Instruments/scales and measurement of outcomes: Describe the instruments you will use to measure changes and whether they are quantitative, qualitative, or of a mixed design. If they have been tested previously, include reliability and validity data. Data collection: Explain plans for data collection including: Methods of collection, i.e., interviews, paper and pencil testing, etc. Testing frequency. Will you gather baseline data prior to the intervention? Will you employ repeated measures such as pre- and posttests? Week 8 assignment 2 Statistical Analysis For this week’s Dropbox assignment, you will begin to develop Part 5 of your project proposal: Analyzing change. In your discussion, include the following points: State your clinical question. Briefly state the intervention you will implement. While these two items are not typically included in Part 5, doing so will help orient faculty so appropriate feedback can be provided. What outcomes will be analyzed and how they will be analyzed? Describe the statistical analysis you will do relating this to the data collection tools you plan to use. Indicate the types of demographic data you plan to report on your participants as well. Briefly discuss the outcomes expected should this project be implemented. After receiving feedback from faculty, incorporate the appropriate content into your project proposal. Week 9 assignment 2 Evidence Based Project Proposal For your Dropbox assignment, you will write another part of your Methods section (Part 4) that you began in Week 7. In a paragraph or two in APA format include the following: Identify your stakeholders by job title and how their participation was key to the project. Briefly discuss potential barriers to project implementation that stakeholders may present. Include strategies to prevent or address these barriers. After receiving feedback from faculty, incorporate this paragraph into the Methods section of your paper after the “Procedures/intervention” section and before the “Instruments/scales and measurement of outcomes” section. Week 10 assignment 2 Evidence-Based Project Overview/Description: Learners will develop a scholarly project that will demonstrate an application of evidence to practice for a substantive change. This project emphasizes application of evidence-based methodology, scholarly writing, and critical thinking. The scholarly project will be submitted as a written paper in APA format/style. In addition, learners will present a summary of the final project orally and/or with a PowerPoint presentation. Learners will select one of the following projects related to their specific advanced role specialization that addresses a health promotion and disease prevention of a target population: Educational program Evidence-based healthcare policy change Evidence-based clinical issue or protocol Criteria for scholarly EBP project proposal Over the past 11 weeks, students have developed a proposal for an evidence-based project in their area of specialization. This final paper is the culmination of this scholarly activity. All papers must be written using APA format and a professional writing style. The proposal should include the following sections and content. Abstract Part 1 – Introduction – Week 2 Introduction Practice issue Summarize the practice issue in need of change providing background information about the organization (setting) and the perceived significance and severity of the problem Describe the specific aims of the project – what improved outcomes do you hope to achieve PICOT question – State your question in PICOT format, labeling each part with P-I-C-O-T in parentheses Significance – what is the significance of the issue in terms of poor outcomes, cost, etc. Part 2 – Evidence review and synthesis – Week 3, 4, & 5 List the names of the databases you searched and if limited to a span of time, i.e., less than 5 years old Summarize “keeper” studies Summarize the synthesis of the body of evidence Part 3 – Purpose of the project – Week 6 Purpose of the project – include intervention Theoretical framework Clinical questions Part 4 – Methods – Week 7 Study design Setting/sample Confidentiality Procedure/intervention Aligning stakeholders Instruments/scales and measurement of outcomes Data collection Part 5 – Data analysis – Weeks 8 & 9 Outcomes to be analyzed and how they will be analyzed Outcomes expected (hypothesized) Appendices Evaluation Table – turned in Weeks 3 & 4 Synthesis Table – turned in Week 5 Oral and/or PowerPoint Presentation Students will present a summary of their project using Microsoft PowerPoint. The presentation for onground campus students will be done orally in a 20-minute presentation Online campus students will include speaker notes in their PowerPoint slides and will defend their presentation in a discussion board. Criteria: Assemble the presentation to present all required criteria sections of the EBP project. Quality of presentation is professional and provides evidence of graduate level scholarship.