Developing an Evaluation Plan

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Date of Submission

Developing an Evaluation Plan

The researcher will employ a mixed methodology that consists of qualitative and quantitative methods in assessing the viability of his proposal and the variables when analyzing the outcomes of his project. This is because healthcare stakeholders perceive a mixed research methodology that consists of the more naturalistic strategy of the qualitative methods, alongside quantitative methods as a representative of a combination that corresponds well with the investigation of health care issues (Bowling 2005).

Objective

The researcher’s main objective is to propose a robust staff matrix whose aim is to reduce the rates of nurse turnover that make hospitals to get understaffed. The researcher intends to do so by finding out ways in which staff satisfaction can be improved in a bid to completely change the entire process of health care delivery. To achieve this he will use the methods and variables outlined below.

Methods

The researcher will apply the following methods in assessing the efficacy of his proposed solution when evaluating his project outcomes: Survey of the attitudes of nursing staff and factors that contribute to their job satisfaction prior to and after change is introduced. Apart from that, the researcher will find out the rates of employees turnover prior to and after the initiation of change. Finally, the researcher will also make a comparison of surveys on patient discharge prior to and after change has been introduced.

Questionnaire

A Questionnaire will be sent to all the 200 nursing staff in the hospitals. The recipients will be mixed grades of nurses from various hospitals and are expected to be working in conventional nursing roles in the district. This includes the provision of health care to patients in their home settings or limited health care services within the hospitals.

Surveys

The qualitative section will employ a survey through the use of a semi structured interview of the nurses in the entire district divided into groups of five team leaders. This is a cohort of those who replied to the emails sent to them earlier and confirmed that they would voluntarily participate in the research.

The interviews will be carried out through the introduction of subject matters into open questions. This will be done to curb any exterior manipulation of partiality by using preset questions that the participants may want to answer (Polit 2006). The use of interviews tends to enable participants to elaborate on certain areas that they hold dear. This could in the end have a critical effect on the analysis of the gathered data. This empirical undertaking will analyze data gathered from the semi-structured interviews by use of an invariable proportional approach (Glaser and Straus,s 2007).

Variables

The researcher will utilize the following variables to analyze the success of the projected solution: the rate by which the turnover of nurses is experienced as well as the perceptions and attitudes of the staff. The tools that will be used to analyze projected outcomes include: surveys (semi structured interviews) and questionnaires.

The Perceptions and Attitudes of the Staff

The perceptions and attitudes of the staff towards the proposed robust staff matrix whose aim is to reduce the rates of nurse turnover that make hospitals get understaffed will be analyzed through interviews and questionnaires. The researcher will find out the nurses attitudes towards the previous staff matrix and their proposed modifications in order to develop a successful staff matrix that will guarantee their satisfaction.

Patient Attitudes and Perceptions

The researcher will find out through semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire the patients attitudes and perceptions on the existing nursing staff matrix in relation to its impact on health care delivery. Their proposed modification to the existing staff matrix will also be recorded in order to develop a new staff matrix that is intended to positively impact overall delivery of health care.

Rate of Nursing Staff Turnover

The rate of nursing turnover had risen over the years in the hospitals within the District. The researcher will thus endeavor to find out through semi structured interviews and a questionnaire how the existing staff matrix had impacted on the rate of nurses’ turnover in order to come up with a new staff matrix that is intended to reduce this rate.

Tools Necessary to Educate Project Participants

The researcher will develop teaching materials and PowerPoint slides as tools that will be necessary to educate the project participants. The tools will contain a comprehensive outline of the researchers’ proposals concerning the development of the new staff matrix.

Assessment Tools Necessary to Evaluate Project Outcomes

A Quality Assurance Model Using Research (QAMUR) will be used to evaluate the project outcomes on a quarterly basis in order to find out what has been done, what has not been done and what needs to be done to fully implement its objectives.

Strategies for Disseminating Results of Project to Key Stakeholders

The project results will be disseminated through published reports. However since most nurses do not catch up with relevant practice through one report, the project coordinators will publish as many reports as possible to ensure that each nurse reviews about 18 reports per day.

Significance of Disseminating Project Outcomes to the Greater Nursing Community

Good practices in patient care are pegged on the dissemination of the most recent evidence. Without credible evidence to underline practice nurses more often than not find themselves aggravated for being incapacitated in the provision of the best likely care.

References

Bowling, A. (2002) Research Methods in Health. Oxford University Press, Maidenhead

Glaser B.G., Strauss A (2007). Discovery of Grounded Theory, Strategies for Qualitative Research. Sociology Press: Mill Valley CA.

Polit DF, Beck CT, Hungler BP (2006.) Essentials of Nursing Research: Methods, Appraisal and Utilization (Fifth edition), Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia PA.

Details:
Using 500-1,000 words, discuss methods to evaluate the effectiveness of your proposed solution and variables to be assessed when evaluating project outcomes.
Example: If you are proposing a new staffing matrix that is intended to reduce nurse turnover, improve nursing staff satisfaction, and positively impact overall delivery of care, you may decide the following methods and variables are necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of your proposed solution:

Methods:

1. Survey of staff attitudes and contributors to job satisfaction and dissatisfaction before and after initiating change.

2. Obtain turnover rates before and after initiating change.

3. Compare patient discharge surveys before change and after initiation of change.

Variables:

1. Staff attitudes and perceptions.

2. Patient attitudes and perceptions.

3. Rate of nursing staff turnover.

Develop the tools necessary to educate project participants and to evaluate project outcomes (surveys, questionnaires, teaching materials, PowerPoint slides, etc.).

Evidence Instructions: This checklist is designed to help students organize the weekly exercises/assignments to be completed as preparation for the final, capstone project proposal. This checklist will also serve as a communication tool between students and faculty. Comments, feedback, and grading for modules 1-4 will be documented using this checklist. Topic Task Completed Comments / Feedback Points Developing an Evaluation Plan • Described methods used to evaluate effectiveness of proposed solution. ____/ 2 • Described variables to be assessed when evaluating project outcomes. ____/ 2 • Developed tools necessary to educate project participants. _____ / 8 • Developed assessment tool(s) necessary to evaluate project outcomes. _____ / 8 Disseminating Evidence • Discussed strategy for disseminating results of project to key stakeholders. _____ / 8 • Discussed strategy for disseminating significance of project outcomes to greater nursing community. _____ / 8 Written Format & Length Requirements • Assignment formatted according to APA. • Word Count (500-1,000 evaluation plan; 250-500 disseminating evidence) _____/ 2 _____/ 2 TOTAL POINTS _____ / 40 Module 4 Checklist.