The completion of the NUR 456 professional practice project was a personal success. The coursework objectives and requirements were achieved in the project. The results of the project were applicable to personal nursing practice and learning. The following is a self-evaluation of the project assignment and it shows how the objectives of the project were achieved.
Success in achieving objectives
The project required that data be collected from diverse resources and this objective was achieved. It was also possible to relate evidence-based research, to provide patients with up-to-date global statistics information about hypertension management. The project allowed the discussion of hypertension management based on current research findings. Another requirement that was fulfilled is the use of theoretical nursing framework model that related to hypertension management, which was readily applied in the project. The project also made it possible to achieve the personal objective of providing educational sessions on hypertension and classes were organized for patients before they were discharged.
The second set of objectives was based on the evaluation of patients’ hypertension knowledge coupled with how to provide information regarding the management and diagnosis of the same. These objectives were achieved in the project.
The project allowed assessment of hypertension patients to identify and evaluate their knowledge in order to find out information about the kind of help or accommodation needed upon patient discharge to prevent relapse. This requirement was met accordingly and the project enabled the creation of the notion that patients had inadequate information regarding their condition. The second part of this set of objectives was also achieved as patients were provided with insight information on hypertension management that was useful after discharge.
In the third set of objectives, the patients’ culture, language, and ease of learning was assessed. The project enabled the interaction with patients from different cultural backgrounds, which promoted the personal understanding for dealing with such patients. I was also able to employ empathy when caring for patients with language barriers and I used an interpreter during the project to make patients feel relaxed. The other objective that was to be fulfilled was the use of simple words to help patients’ understanding and in the process of divulging information. The giving of information on hypertension during the project was made easy by diagrams and nurses were trained on how to use simple terms during treatment.
The fourth set of objectives was centered on the utilization of the health practitioners to educate the hypertensive patients. The project enabled personal collaboration and communication with primary care physicians, pharmacists, social workers on screening for risk factors, counseling, and community referral to a local agency in order to improve patient healthcare outcomes. It was also possible to negotiate with medical staff and nurses to discuss the implementation of the nursing protocol on hypertension management. The objectives led to the development of a protocol on the management of hypertension.
The application of ethical principles is a requirement in any project and it was an objective in this particular project. This objective was achieved in the project with the application of ANA ethical standards, which were used to make the right decisions for patients in the hospital and those who participated. The other evidence of achievement of the objectives was by considering the hospital standards and legal statues before implementation of the protocol on hypertension management. The other ethical standard that serves as evidence of achieving this objective is that JCAHO standards on patient confidentiality were widely applied in the project.
Through the project in focus, another personal success in achieving objectives was evident in the way the project attempted to improve hypertension at the community level by organizing Seminars to Raise Awareness. There is evidence that the project demonstrated the importance of the necessary lifestyle changes in the prevention of hypertension. The project listed some of the lifestyle changes that people need to make in order to prevent hypertension and the measures that should be taken to control the disease in the hypertensive patients. The paper that culminated from the project and the brochure were evidence of the objective of the project to provide advice to patients. The project also enabled the development of Hypertension Action Groups and the setting up of Community-based action teams and these were suggested in the report.
The objective of applying theory into practice was achieved via a review and evaluation of data on hypertension management. In the project, I was able to read four articles on hypertension management and incorporated the recent findings to the new protocol. Evidence of this achievement is provided in the journal reports that were provided. There was also application of evidence-based knowledge to improve the protocol of hypertension management. Evidence of this aspect is provided in the report where the updated protocol on hypertension management is provided.
The objective of collaboration with the relevant cadres in the provision of care and education to hypertensive patients was achieved. As evidence, the project allowed the organization of a personal meeting with the nutritionist, which was crucial in the education of patients and their family about the importance of dietary and lifestyle changes. It was also possible to collaborate with the pharmacist to promote treatment compliance. The evidence of this aspect is in the project report where the collaboration and the part played by the pharmacist were discussed. A class was also organized with the clinical staff to deliver information on best practices when caring for hypertensive patients. A review of the implications of administration of this protocol in the management of hypertension was also prepared as evidence. Another evidence of the achievement of the objectives was the development of a Community-Based Wellness Programs for Hypertensive Patients. The personal project proposed development of Hypertension Action Groups to detect, prevent, educate, and treat hypertension and advocated that all members of the society should take part in it.
The other objective, which required revision of all handouts, pamphlets, and brochures to confirm the information and data are accurate in providing patients with safety and high quality care was achieved. The evidence of this achievement is in the protocol that emanated from the project, which was a combination of all the information provided in the above material. The attitudes of nurses on hypertension management were also assessed before and after the educational sessions on hypertension. In the project, it is evident that the objective of analyzing relevant sources for literature review in hypertension management was done and the aim of this move was to provide an update on the information used in the hypertension management protocol.
The objective that required the collection and certification of medical surgical information through the American Nurses Credentialing Center was achieved. The information that was obtained in the project was accredited.
Third Personal Journal
Role of nursing staff
The management of hypertension takes up a significant work time for nursing staff. It is estimated that nurses in the management of hypertension provide up to 80% of primary care services. Nurses have a role in the education of patients on hypertension management, as they are the primary contact for these patients in many areas. They also have the ability to adjust the clinical algorithms that are used in the management of hypertension. Moreover, as a basic role, they monitor the medication use in hypertension treatment. The paper examined and defined some of the roles that nurses play in the management of hypertension. However, a number of challenges were associated with any attempt to evaluate the role of nurses in the management of any condition as discussed below.
Challenges
The assessment of the nursing attitude in the management of hypertension was difficult based on the tight schedules that they had at the workplace. Some of the nurses were ill equipped to handle hypertension at the work place, but they normally gave false information that they were in a position to handle the disease. Another challenge in the management of hypertension on nurses’ side was the inadequate knowledge of hypertension and its management that they demonstrated.
Professional development
The assessment of nursing care on hypertension patients is important in my personal professional development. The knowledge gathered will be important in the modeling of new guidelines for nurses. The knowledge gap that the nurses exhibited will also need to be revisited in future studies and this realization created an opportunity for me to carry out a study related to the nursing attitude on hypertension.