Introducing Research Training Program to Enhance EDP in Children’s National Hospital
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Introducing Research Training Program to Enhance EDP in Children’s National Hospital
Introduction
Background of the Children’s National Hospital
Children’s National Hospital is one of the largest children’s hospitals in the United States. The Hospital was formerly known as the Children’s National Health System, or the Children’s National Medical Center (Children’s National Hospital, 2020). The pediatric Hospital is located in Washington, D.C, and is ranked among the top seven children’s hospitals in the country. The hospitals serve as a regional referral center for pediatric emergency, trauma, cancer, and cardiac complications, among others (Children’s National Hospital, 2020). The Hospital is a non-profit organization that has provided pediatric healthcare services for the past 145 years (Newman, 2020). The Hospital is the only health facility designed predominately for children in the entire Washington, DC, metropolitan area. The organization is widely recognized for developing and applying innovative new treatments for various pediatric conditions and injuries. The Hospital provides pediatric health care in the region and country and over 40 countries worldwide. Children’s National also hosts the Children’s Research Institute and Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical innovation (Newman, 2020). Moreover, the organization advocates for children’s health issues and provides free healthcare to children from impoverished backgrounds. The Hospital is continually seeking to integrate new innovative and imaginative approaches to improve its healthcare to children.
The paper identifies the research training program as an opportunity for change to enhance the implementation of Evidence-Based Practice (EDB) in the Hospital. EDP had helped in improving patient care and outcomes. However, the organization requires finding new innovative methodologies to overcome both individual and organizational factors that prevent proper implementation of EDB.
Research Training Program Opportunity for Change
Contemporary society is experiencing rapid change in every field due to advancements in technology. The medical field has not been left behind as new innovative methods of providing care are repeatedly discovered. With the continuously expanding technology and research in health, EDB is becoming necessary in providing top quality pediatric patient care (Agnes et al., 2015). Today the internet is becoming a source of unlimited information that the healthcare givers can use as a tool of knowledge. However, nurses need to familiarize themselves with the available data to apply it in their daily patient care. Although some criticize EDB arguing that it will fade into obscurity, many institutions organizations have heavily invested resources to implement EDP to enhance nursing care (Agnes et al., 2015).
The successful implementation of EDP is dependent on the accessibility of the information available.
Therefore, Children’s National Hospital management should be willing to take a conscious and unified approach to integrate EDB in its daily clinical practice. The National Hospital must ensure that EDP is addressed in its philosophy and mission as it is focused on providing the quality provision of quality patient care by the nurses. This will soon become the culture of the organization. However, one of the significant challenges facing the implementation of EDB in many organizations is that the staff lacks the confidence to critically evaluate empirical research. Most nurses feel that they lack the necessary knowledge in research methods and analysis (Mathieson, Grande, & Luker, 2019). As a result, many nurses are unable to incorporate EDB practice in their daily nursing practice because they feel that they do not have the power and authority to implement changes in their practice. Thus, National Children’s Hospital should empower the nurses with the necessary research skills and encourage them to apply the information gathered in their routine nursing practices.
Hospital management needs to know that research is necessary because it helps them grow in their field and stay updated with new techniques and approaches to offer better patient care. Equipping the nurses with literacy skills will help them apply knowledge more effectively to develop their conclusions and make informed decisions (Agnes et al. 2015).
The Stake Holders Involved
The Children’s National Hospital management and the nurses will be the primary stakeholder in implementing this program. The administration must agree that introducing a research training program to the nurses improves their daily nursing practice. Equipping the nurses with the required research skills will help them have the ability to analyze and make conclusions that will help them make the right decision in their work. This will improve the patients’ overall outcomes, and it will enhance the Hospital’s efficiency. The nurses must be willing to change their attitude towards research and accept participating in the training program to fully advance their skills in implementing EDB in their routine nursing practices.
The Risk Involved in Implementing the Change
While introducing a research training program may improve the nursing practice in the National Children Hospitals, it poses a risk to patients’ outcomes. This is mainly due to the existing gap between research evidence, nursing practice variations, and enhanced healthcare recipients (Mathieson, Grande, & Luker, 2019). Even with the necessary research skills, nurses may face various challenges that might hinder them from implementing EDB practices by applying the learned information.
Some of the challenges may include lack of engagement between the nurses, the management, and the patients, lack of adequate time to attend the training, and high workload are some of the factors that may hinder a successful implementation of the idea (Mathieson, Grande, & Luker, 2019). Additionally, inadequate knowledge on what EBP entails and negative attitude towards and inadequate academic skills are other factors that may risk the implementation of the program in the National Children’s Hospital.
Plan for Knowledge Transfer of this Change
To implement change effectively in an organization, it is vital to have a solid strategy. A plan will be required to have the research training program implemented in the National Children’s Hospital to enhance EBP. The first step in the plan will be to identify the recipient of the information from the Hospital’s management and the nurses trained; the second step is to communicate the message they need to receive: the need for research training in implementing EDP. The third step is to identify the channels used to communicate the information, including word of mouth in various departments and through the workers portal.
Measurable Out-comes to be Achieved When the Change is Implemented
After implementing the research training program, I expect EDP to be fully incorporated into the National Children’s Hospital’s culture and mission. This will show that the organization has embraced the change. I also expect the nurse get more confident in practicing what they research in their routine nursing practices. This will be expected to improve patient outcomes in the Hospital.
In conclusion, having the necessary research skill is important for nurses in their daily practice. Adequate research knowledge helps nurses to identify the right information, analyze it, and use it to make informed decisions in their approach. The research training program will help nurses in the National Children’s Hospital improve their skills and correctly use it to improve their routine practices and patient outcomes.
References
Agnes et al. (2015) Promoting evidence-based practice through a research training program for point-of-care clinicians. National Library of Medicine. The Journal of Nursing Administration. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4263611/
Children’s National Hospital. (2020) About us. Available at: https://childrensnational.org/about-us/our-history
Mathieson, A., Grande, G. & Luker, K. (2019) Strategies, facilitators, and barriers to implementation of evidence-based practice in community nursing: a systematic mixed- studies review and qualitative synthesis. National Library of Medicine. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6476399/
Newman, K. (2020). Children’s National Hospital. Available at: https://www.safekids.org/childrens-national-hospital
Northeastern State University (2017) Why do nurses need research? Available at: https://nursingonline.nsuok.edu/articles/rnbsn/why-nurses-need-research.aspx#:~:text=Nurses%20need%20research%20because%20it,practice%20is%20important%20for%20nurses.