Assignment task:
Read a selection of your colleagues' posts and respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days by expanding upon their reflections, making connections to your perceptions, and offering additional insights.
Patient falls persist as a general and preventable safety situation in acute and long-term care settings. Decreasing fall rates needs more than the existence of evidence-based protocols; it depends on a thorough understanding of the learning and practice gaps within clinical environments. For Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students, distinguishing between research and quality improvement (QI) efforts is essential for developing sustainable, evidence-based practice (EBP) projects that improve patient outcomes.
Tzeng and Yin (2017) conducted a multi-hospital survey highlighting a critical knowledge gap: the absence of consensus on the most effective fall prevention interventions across diverse inpatient settings. Although fall prevention systems are widely enforced, their significance varies, and there is uncertainty regarding which interventions yield consistent outcomes across settings and patient populations. This gap suggests a need for further research that compares intervention effectiveness in a standardized manner
In contrast, a practice gap is illustrated in Bangura's (2024) QI project conducted in a veteran long-term care facility. Despite having fall prevention protocols, the facility experienced persistently high fall rates due to inconsistent or absent implementation of intentional rounding by nurse practitioners. Purposeful rounding, an organized approach that clinicians routinely use to examine patients, was inconsistently used, highlighting the gap between protocol and technique. Bangura's intervention focused on creating and producing a structured, planned rounding protocol, highlighting the significance of performance fidelity in QI initiatives.
To bridge these gaps and guide practice change, the Johns Hopkins EBP Model offers a structured approach for developing practice-focused questions (Dang et al., 2021). In the "Practice Question" phase, clinical teams identify issues rooted in real-world inconsistencies. Based on the observed failures in fall prevention strategy execution, a relevant PICOT-style question emerging from this scenario is
"In a long-term care facility, how does implementing nurse practitioner-led intentional rounding compared to standard care impact the rate of patient falls over three months
This question incorporates the knowledge gap identified by Tzeng and Yin (2017) and the practice gap uncovered by Bangura (2024), offering a focused approach for DNP students to develop impactful EBP projects.
Targeting knowledge and implementation deficits, this project design supports meaningful, evidence-based changes grounded in empirical research and frontline practice realities. This dual-focus approach aligns with the core goals of DNP education, which are to translate evidence into practice and lead quality improvement efforts that enhance patient care. Need Assignment Help?