Strategy Submission
Health Literacy: Incorporating QSEN (Quality and Safety Education in Nursing) Competencies into a Senior Capstone Project and Paper
Author:
Lori Rodriguez
RN PhD
Title:
Associate Professor
Coauthors:
Institution:
San Jose State University
Email:
Competency Categories:
Evidence-Based Practice, Informatics, Patient-Centered Care, Quality Improvement, Safety, Teamwork and Collaboration
Learner Level(s):
Pre-Licensure BSN, RN to BSN
Learner Setting(s):
Clinical Setting
Strategy Type:
Paper Assignments
Learning Objectives:
- patient/family/community preferences, values
- coordination and integration of care
- information, communication, and education
- physical comfort and emotional support
- involvement of family and friends
- transition and continuity
Strategy Overview:
- You will be doing a two part paper/project on Health Literacy integrating the QSEN competencies into your performance and then writing a paper reporting on that project.
- After reading a minimum of four original research articles, identify and discuss in your paper the best current evidence on health literacy. In the introduction to your paper, define health literacy, explain why health literacy is important in today’s healthcare environment, provide the rationale for ensuring that patients should become more health literate.
- Identify particular barriers to health literacy that you expect you will encounter in the particular population of patients that you are dealing with i.e. oncology patients, ICU patients, elder patients, children, etc. This is determined by your clinical assignment and the unit that you are on.
- When you write, use your own words as much as possible so that you demonstrate that you understand health literacy and how it relates to your patient population. You are encouraged to use cause-effect diagrams and flow charts to help make your discussion more clear.
- Among the patients who you are assigned to this semester, identify a patient with limited health literacy. Using the language of the QSEN (Knowledge, Skills & Attitudes) KSA’s, discuss your interventions to improve the patient’s (and perhaps family’s) health literacy . The goal is to show that you improved at least one aspect of this patient’s understanding of their disease management. Do not make it a litany of the entire patient teaching that you did for a patient. (Read Cronenwett, L., Sherwood, G., Barnsteiner, J., Disch, J., Johnson, J., Mitchell, P., and Warren, J. (2007). Quality and safety education for nurses. Nursing Outlook, 55 (3), 122-131 in order to use the language of the QSEN KSA’s or review KSA's on www.qsen.org/ksas_prelicensure.php )
- Using the terminology and language of health literacy and quality improvement explain how you ensured that the patient’s health literacy improved after your interventions. Minimally, you will have to do a “teach-back” and other creative methods are encouraged to show that you improved the outcomes for this patient by your interventions.
- Finally, you should conclude the paper with reflection on the project and if you feel that your interventions made a difference to your patient.
- Format: The paper must be typed in APA format, and grammatically correct with correct punctuation. Length of papers varies depending on the complexity and the clinical situation. Generally, the final papers average around 6-12 pages, with 3-6 pages for the first part and 3-6 for the second part. Use a minimum of 4 references. References are to be annotated, that is, include a short description of each reference (content and value)
Submitted Materials:
Additional Materials:
Evaluation Description
Scoring Rubric
Content
Evidence
Patient Centered
Quality improvement
Safety
Informatics
Exemplary
Demonstrates a superior understanding of health literacy applied to patient (and family) focusing on an appropriate & important learning goal
Displays an analytic attitude in determining the patients barriers to health literacy and the best way to overcome them
Determines a creative and accurate method of determining if learning has occurred
Integrates best current evidence with clinical expertise and patient/family preferences and values
Recognizes the patient or designee as the source of control and full partner in providing compassionate and coordinated care based on respect for patients' preferences, values, and needs
Demonstrates respect and sensitivity to the patient
Uses objective factual information from the patient to determine if the patient's health literacy has improved
Uses flowcharts, or cause and effect diagrams within the text of the paper to explain and clarify aspects
Describes how the improvement of the patient's health literacy in the area chosen minimizes risk, harm, and prevents future hospital admissions
Explains why information and technology skills are essential for safe patient care
Acceptable
Applies concepts of health literacy focusing on a learning goal
Determines the patient's barriers to HL and ways to overcome them
Uses a teach-back methodology
Integrates current evidence with clinical expertise and patient/family preferences and values
As above
Uses objective factual information from the patient to determine if the patient's health literacy has improved
As above
As above
Unacceptable
(Examples)
Performs traditional patient teaching without determining if the patient understands or learns
Old or faulty evidence
Talks down to patient
No objective or factual information from patient
Does not link health literacy to safety
Does not link health literacy to information
Evaluation Description:
Scoring Rubric
| Content | Evidence | Patient Centered | Quality improvement | Safety | Informatics |
Exemplary | Demonstrates a superior understanding of health literacy applied to patient (and family) focusing on an appropriate & important learning goal
Displays an analytic attitude in determining the patients barriers to health literacy and the best way to overcome them
Determines a creative and accurate method of determining if learning has occurred | Integrates best current evidence with clinical expertise and patient/family preferences and values | Recognizes the patient or designee as the source of control and full partner in providing compassionate and coordinated care based on respect for patients' preferences, values, and needs
Demonstrates respect and sensitivity to the patient | Uses objective factual information from the patient to determine if the patient's health literacy has improved
Uses flowcharts, or cause and effect diagrams within the text of the paper to explain and clarify aspects | Describes how the improvement of the patient's health literacy in the area chosen minimizes risk, harm, and prevents future hospital admissions | Explains why information and technology skills are essential for safe patient care |
Acceptable | Applies concepts of health literacy focusing on a learning goal Determines the patient's barriers to HL and ways to overcome them
Uses a teach-back methodology | Integrates current evidence with clinical expertise and patient/family preferences and values | As above | Uses objective factual information from the patient to determine if the patient's health literacy has improved
| As above | As above |
Unacceptable (Examples) | Performs traditional patient teaching without determining if the patient understands or learns | Old or faulty evidence | Talks down to patient | No objective or factual information from patient | Does not link health literacy to safety | Does not link health literacy to information |