Health Priority Issue Essay

 Health Priority Issue Essay

Pain Control in Advanced Cancer Patients

Pain control in advanced cancer is a healthcare priority issue that refers to managing pain in people with advanced cancer who are receiving palliative care. Palliative care seeks to improve the quality of life for those suffering from a terminal illness by addressing physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs (World Health Organization, 2020). Pain is one of the most common symptoms experienced by advanced cancer patients, and it can significantly impact their quality of life.

Palliative care patients with advanced cancer are the population of interest in this issue. According to a recent meta-analysis, more than 50% of cancer patients who received anti-cancer treatment and about 66% of those with advanced or metastatic cancer reported experiencing pain (Makhlouf et al., 2020). Pain is also one of the most distressing symptoms cancer patients experience, leading to depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances.

The significance of this healthcare priority issue is multifaceted. Uncontrolled pain in advanced cancer patients can result in a lower quality of life, impaired function, and increased healthcare utilization. Effective pain control is a fundamental aspect of palliative care, and healthcare providers must address pain adequately to improve the quality of life of patients with advanced cancer.

The Importance of Effective Pain Management in Advanced Cancer for Nursing Practice

Pain management is essential to palliative care, and effective pain control can improve patients’ physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being (National Cancer Institute, 2021). Nurses play an important role in assessing and managing pain in patients with advanced cancer. The first step in effective pain management is pain assessment, and nurses are responsible for determining the severity and characteristics of pain, such as location, intensity, duration, and quality.

The impact of pain control on advanced cancer patient outcomes is what makes it so important in nursing. Effective pain management can improve patient’s quality of life, promote comfort, and alleviate their suffering (World Health Organization, 2020). Furthermore, nurses’ knowledge and expertise in pain management can help prevent the negative effects of uncontrolled pain, such as opioid addiction, dependence, and overdose. The nurses’ role in promoting effective communication between patients, families, and the healthcare team is critical in adequately addressing pain control. Nurses can help patients, and their families understand the importance of pain management, provide education on medication use, and address any concerns or questions about pain management.

Nursing Interventions for Improved Pain Management in Cancer Patients

Medication management is one of cancer patients’ most effective pain management interventions. Nurses play a crucial role in this process by assessing the patient’s pain level and understanding the type of pain they are experiencing, whether acute or chronic (Wayne, 2019). They then administer appropriate medications as prescribed by the physician. It is essential to regularly assess the effectiveness of the medication and make necessary adjustments to the dosage or switch medications if required. Educating the patient on the proper use of medication and any potential side effects is also crucial to ensure that the patient receives optimal pain relief while avoiding any adverse effects. By carefully managing the medication, nurses can help cancer patients achieve better pain control, which can significantly impact their overall quality of life.

Non-pharmacological pain management intervention can also be effective in managing pain in cancer patients. These strategies include relaxation techniques, music therapy, and massage therapy (Deng, 2019). Nurses should collaborate with other healthcare team members, such as physical and occupational therapists, to incorporate non-pharmacological pain management strategies into patient care plans. These strategies result in better pain control, a higher quality of life, and less reliance on opioid medications. As a result, implementing non-pharmacological pain management strategies can be an effective way to manage pain in cancer patients.

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

Implementing a Quality Initiative to Improve Patient Care in Hospitals

A Quality Initiative (QI) that can be implemented to improve patient care related to pain control in advanced cancer in a healthcare facility (hospital) is the development and implementation of a pain management protocol (Tanzi et al., 2019). This protocol should include regular pain assessment, evidence-based pharmacological and non-pharmacological pain management strategies, and guidelines for opioid prescribing and monitoring.

The significance of putting in place a pain management protocol is multifaceted. It provides a standardized approach to pain management that ensures that patients receive adequate pain relief and are not undertreated or overtreated (Tanzi et al., 2019). Additionally, it promotes evidence-based pain management strategies and reduces the variation in practice among healthcare providers. Pain management protocol also ensures that opioid medications are prescribed and monitored appropriately, reducing the risk of opioid dependence, addiction, and overdose.

Creating and implementing a pain management protocol entails several critical steps. First, it is critical to evaluate the hospital’s current pain management practices, which include pain assessment, pharmacological and non-pharmacological pain management strategies, and opioid prescribing and monitoring. Based on this assessment, a pain management protocol with evidence-based pharmacological and non-pharmacological pain management strategies, guidelines for opioid prescribing and monitoring, and regular pain assessment should be developed.

The pain management protocol must then be taught to healthcare providers, emphasizing the importance of regular pain assessments, appropriate opioid prescribing, and non-pharmacological pain management strategies (Liu et al., 2020). The protocol must be implemented throughout the hospital, and its effectiveness in improving pain control in patients with advanced cancer must be monitored. Finally, regular evaluations should be carried out to assess the protocol’s effectiveness and, if necessary, modify it to improve patient outcomes. By implementing this QI, patients with advanced cancer can receive adequate pain relief, improved physical and emotional well-being, and reduced opioid-related adverse effects, ultimately leading to improved quality of life and increased comfort.

Collaboration is also a crucial quality initiative that ensures effective pain management for patients, and nurses play a critical role in this process. To achieve this, nurses should work collaboratively with other healthcare professionals, such as physicians, pharmacists, and other healthcare team members. By doing so, they can ensure that the patient’s pain management plan is integrated into their overall plan of care, which can lead to better patient outcomes. Additionally, nurses should maintain regular communication with patients and their families, providing updates on their progress and pain management. Nurses can help ensure patients receive high-quality care for their pain management needs by working collaboratively and communicating effectively.

The Importance of Nursing Involvement in Quality Initiatives and the Role of Professional Nursing Values in Improving Patient Care Outcomes.

Nursing must be involved in quality initiatives because nurses play an integral role in patient care and are frequently the frontline providers with the most direct contact with patients. Nurses can assist in identifying areas for quality improvement and working with other healthcare team members to implement changes that improve patient outcomes.

Two nursing values can significantly improve the quality of patient care outcomes for pain control in advanced cancer. The first value is advocacy. Advocacy is a critical nursing value that protects patients’ rights and interests (Abbasinia et al., 2019). In advanced cancer, nurses can promote patient well-being by ensuring that patients receive adequate pain relief and are not under or over-treated. Additionally, nurses can advocate for implementing evidence-based pain management techniques and educate patients and their families about the benefits and drawbacks of opioid medications. Nurses can be critical in improving patients’ quality of life and promoting their overall health outcomes by emphasizing advocacy.

Empathy is the second nursing value critical for improving patient care outcomes in advanced cancer pain control. Understanding and relating to patients’ emotions and experiences is what empathy entails. Nurses can demonstrate empathy by listening to patients’ pain-related concerns and fears, providing emotional support, and developing therapeutic relationships (Babaii et al., 2021). Nurses can build trust and rapport with patients through empathy, increasing patient satisfaction with pain management. By improving patients’ overall emotional and physical well-being, empathy can significantly improve the quality of patient care outcomes in advanced cancer. As a result, nurses who prioritize empathy can significantly impact the lives of patients suffering from advanced cancer pain.

Conclusion

Pain control in advanced cancer patients is a critical healthcare priority issue that requires effective nursing interventions to improve patient outcomes. Nursing plays a vital role in pain management by assessing and monitoring pain levels and selecting appropriate strategies. Regular pain assessment and developing and implementing pain management protocols are essential Quality Initiatives that can improve hospital patient care outcomes. Nursing values, such as patient-centered care, advocacy, and professionalism, can guide nurses to improve safe patient care and ensure patients receive the best possible care. Therefore, it is crucial for nursing to be involved in Quality Improvement and to use their professional values to help improve safe patient care.

References

Abbasinia, M., Ahmadi, F., & Kazemnejad, A. (2019). Patient advocacy in nursing: A concept analysis. Nursing Ethics, 27(1), 141–151. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733019832950

Babaii, A., Mohammadi, E., & Sadooghiasl, A. (2021). The meaning of the empathetic nurse–patient communication: A qualitative study. Journal of Patient Experience, 8(8), 237437352110564. https://doi.org/10.1177/23743735211056432

Deng, G. (2019). Integrative medicine therapies for pain management in cancer patients. The Cancer Journal, 25(5), 343–348. https://doi.org/10.1097/ppo.0000000000000399

Liu, X., Li, L., Wang, L., Herr, K., & Chen, Q. (2020). Implement and evaluate a pain management core competency education program for surgical nurses. International Journal of Nursing Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2020.09.008

Makhlouf, S. M., Pini, S., Ahmed, S., & Bennett, M. I. (2020). Managing pain in people with cancer-a systematic review of the attitudes and knowledge of professionals, patients, caregivers and public. Journal of cancer education: the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education, 35(2), 214–240. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-019-01548-9

National Cancer Institute. (2021, November 1). Palliative care in cancer. National Cancer Institute; Cancer.gov. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/advanced-cancer/care-choices/palliative-care-fact-sheet

Tanzi, S., Leo, S. D., Mazzini, E., Castagnetti, M., Turrà, C., Peruselli, C., & Costantini, M. (2019). Long-term sustainability of a quality improvement program on cancer pain management: A complex intervention in an inpatient setting. Tumori Journal, 106(1), 25–32. https://doi.org/10.1177/0300891619869513

Wayne, G. (2019). Chronic Pain – Nursing diagnosis & care plan. Nurseslabs. https://nurseslabs.com/chronic-pain/

World Health Organization. (2020, August 5). Palliative care. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/palliative-care

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

 

Activity 5
Healthcare Priority Issue
Baccalaureate education will provide learning opportunities to use safety principles, quality improvement concepts, basic quality and safety investigations, and monitoring the results and outcomes (AACN, 2008).
Transforming healthcare and improving quality are priorities for the profession of nursing. The following activity will help you explore key national priority health care areas for quality improvement as identified by the Institute of Medicine. Begin by selecting a key healthcare priority area and a population. Next, review and locate 2 article that describes a nursing intervention designed to improve a patient outcome for the chosen population selected healthcare priority issue. Finally, discuss why it is important for nursing to be involved in Quality Improvement and describe how nursing values can be used to help improve safe patient care.
Access the Priority Areas for National Action: Transforming Health Quality and read Chapter 3: Priority Areas for Quality Improvement, pages 41-45. Select ONE priority area (priority healthcare issue) and identify a patient population you would like to explore.
Additional Instructions:
1. All submissions should have a title page and reference page.
2. Utilize a minimum of two scholarly resources.
3. Adhere to grammar, spelling and punctuation criteria.
4. Adhere to APA compliance guidelines.
5. Adhere to the chosen Submission Option for Delivery of Activity guidelines.
Submission Options
Choose One: Instructions:
Paper • 5 page paper. Include title and reference pages.

Healthcare Policy and Regulations – Healthcare Priority Issue
Description: The baccalaureate-graduate nurse will demonstrate knowledge of quality improvement methods to effectively implement patient safety initiatives, monitor performance measures, and participate in the development of imaginative and creative strategies to enable systems to change.
Course Competencies: 3) Examine the effect of health and social policies on persons with diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. 5) Construct nursing interventions that provide high quality, safe healthcare using nursing-sensitive indicators.
QSEN Competencies: 1) Patient-Centered Care 4) Quality Improvement 5) Safety
BSN Essential II
Area	Gold Mastery	Silver Proficient	Bronze Acceptable	Acceptable Mastery not Demonstrated
Identifies and describes the selected healthcare priority issue, the population it involves, and the significance of the health care issue. Includes facts or data.	Identifies and describes the selected healthcare priority issue, the population it involves, and the significance of the health care issue. Includes facts or data.	Completes three of the four- 1) Identifies and describes the selected healthcare priority issue, 2) the population it involves, and 3) the significance of the health care issue. 4) Includes facts or data.	Completes two of the four- 1) Identifies and describes the selected healthcare priority issue, 2)the population it involves, and 3) the significance of the health care issue. 4) Includes facts or data.	Completes one of the four- 1) Identifies and describes the selected healthcare priority issue, 2)the population it involves, and 3) the significance of the health care issue. 4) Includes facts or data.
Discusses the rationale for choosing the priority healthcare issue and explains the priority healthcare issue importance to nursing. Provides details.	Discusses the rationale for choosing the priority healthcare issue and explains the priority healthcare issue importance to nursing. Provides details.	Completes two of three- 1) Discusses the rationale for choosing the priority healthcare issue and 2) explains the priority healthcare issue importance to nursing. 3) Provides details.	Completes one of three- 1) Discusses the rationale for choosing the priority healthcare issue and 2) explains the priority healthcare issue importance to nursing. 3) Provides details.	Does not address section

 

Clearly identify two nursing actions or interventions designed to improve patient care or a patient outcome. From the two nursing article, select a total of two (no more or less) nursing interventions and explain how the interventions improved two patient outcome	Clearly identify two nursing actions or interventions designed to improve patient care or a patient outcome. From the two nursing article, select a total of two (no more or less) nursing interventions and explain how the interventions improved two patient outcome	Clearly identify one nursing action or intervention designed to improve patient care or a patient outcome. From the two nursing article, 1) select a total of two (no more or less) nursing interventions and 2) explain how the interventions improved two patient outcome	Completes one of two- Clearly identify two nursing actions or interventions designed to improve patient care or a patient outcome. From the two nursing article, 1) select a total of two (no more or less) nursing interventions and 2) explain how the interventions improved two patient outcome	Completes one of two- Clearly identify one nursing action or intervention designed to improve patient care or a patient outcome. From the two nursing article, 1) select a total of two (no more or less) nursing interventions and 2) explain how the interventions improved two patient outcome
Using the interventions from the articles/studies, describe how you would recommend a Quality Initiative (QI) to improve patient care within a healthcare facility (hospital) and explain why this QI would be important to implement for patients	Using the interventions from the articles/studies, describe how you would recommend a Quality Initiative (QI) to improve patient care within a healthcare facility (hospital) and explain why this QI would be important to implement for patients	Completes two of three- 1)     Using the interventions from the articles/studies, 2)     describe how you would recommend a Quality Initiative (QI) to improve patient care within a healthcare facility (hospital) and 3) explain why this QI would be important to implement for patients	Completes one of three- 1)     Using the interventions from the articles/studies, 2)     describe how you would recommend a Quality Initiative (QI) to improve patient care within a healthcare facility (hospital) and 3)     explain why this QI would be important to implement for patients	Does not address section
Discusses why it is important for nursing to be involved in quality initiatives and identifies two nursing values and explain how each of the professional	Discusses why it is important for nursing to be involved in quality initiatives and identifies two nursing values and explain how each of the professional	Discusses why it is important for nursing to be involved in quality initiatives and identifies one nursing value and explain how the professional	Discusses why it is important for nursing to be involved in quality initiatives and identifies one or two nursing values and but does not explain how each	Does not address section

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

nursing values can help to improve patient care outcomes.	nursing values can help to improve patient care outcomes.	nursing value can help to improve patient care outcomes.	of the professional nursing values can help to improve patient care outcomes.
APA, Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation	No errors in APA, Spelling, and Punctuation.	One to three errors in APA, Spelling, and Punctuation.	Four to six errors in APA, Spelling, and Punctuation.	Seven or more errors in APA, Spelling, and Punctuation.
References	Provides two or more references.	Provides two references.	Provides one references.	Provides no references.