Peer Responses:

• Length: A minimum of 180 words per post, not including references
• Citations: At least two high-level scholarly reference in APA per post from within the last 5 years

My healthcare capstone project is primarily centered on dealing with the management of chronic disease in an elderly patient in an attempt to improve the quality of their lives, hence the increase in quality healthcare interventions. Evaluation of need at an individual and community level is vital to this to a certain extent because it provides scope on various challenges and assets that may be available and necessary for the proper attendance of a chronic ailment (Parry et al., 2021). Awareness of these requirements means that the treatments enhance the ability to solve the identified health challenges of the elderly patients and assist in creating an environment where the elderly patients and their families can be supported to gain better health.

Identified Individual Needs

The old chronic disease patients as a group have several special requirements to be met to enhance the care of the patient. One of the most important issues is the simultaneous treatment of several chronic diseases, as it is essential to monitor and treat one illness without harming the other. Maintenance of polypharmacy issues is also important always since elderly patients have many diseases and usually take many drugs with high chances of drug interactions and side effects (Robinson, 2021). Another aspect with which infants born preterm deal is the cognitive aspect, the pediatric interventions required to encompass memory, decision-making, and daily functioning. Second, reducing social isolation seems critical since it leads to depression and overall health decline, which means that social support and community participation should be included in patients’ management strategies.

Identified Community Needs

At the community level, it is ironic that there are several crucial needs for the management of chronic diseases among elderly patients. Every elderly patient should receive comprehensive geriatric care because he or she may have one or multiple health issues typical for this age group (Garrard et al., 2019). The other requirements are medical equipment and educational tools, which are important in the conformability of diseases at the home. The practice and operational continuation of programs such as these, which address the needs of senior citizens, require funding and support from healthcare institutions and funding bodies. Further, the availability of other agencies in the community that provide constant information dissemination and patient support serves as a critical aspect in the patient’s self-management of their condition as well as further improvement of their quality of life.

Relevance of Research Inquiry

The selected research inquiry is significant to the practice regarding individual and community necessities in the case of chronic illness treatment of elderly patients. One that may be an organizational struggle is the private nature of every client and devising an individual care plan, which can be regarded as following patient-centered care. Engaging the use of the Trans-theoretical Model, the project is well-equipped to implement relevant change strategies that are completely appropriate and applicable according to the patient’s stages of change (Mwiti, 2020). This model also incorporates the aspects of patient education and patient self-management, which are essential for compliance with the recommended therapeutic regimens and consequent enhancement of health statuses. Thus, the research theme intervenes and directly responds to the expressed essential requirements of elderly patients with chronic diseases in terms of adopting practical methods that would help them access optimal care and manage their diseases accordingly, lengthening their lives and empowering the quality of the lives of chronic disease patients.

Anticipated Impact of Research Findings

The intended implication of the research findings is that society is expected to benefit in terms of its individuals and communities. In this case, the integration of individual care plans and selective interventions based on the Trans-theoretical model is anticipated to contribute to better elders’ health and improved or maintained functional status. This approach will assist in decreasing the cases of people who continuously visit hospitals, seek readmission, or end up in the emergency units due to complications as a result of failure to treat the primary conditions. Patients will be better informed and more actively involved with their care since the default approach of healthcare institutions will be patient-centered communication (Mwiti, 2020). At a communal level, the study’s findings will help design efficient healthcare delivery systems since proper usage of resources such as medical equipment for teaching and support service materials will be enhanced. In conclusion, the research will advise health care practice and policy development to be more preventative rather than reactive to health problems, thus promoting virtuous health results for the individual and the larger society.

In conclusion, the evaluation of individuals as well as communities is vital within evidence-based practice to guarantee that the healthcare measures implemented are beneficial and appropriate. Specifically, the capstone project based on the preparation of individual care plans for elderly patients with chronic diseases will satisfy these needs, using the principles of the Transtheoretical Model. This proposal aims to put strategies that would adequately address elderly patients’ needs and, by doing so, boost treatment effectiveness, involve the patient in their treatment process, and look for cost-effective solutions with the support from the community, hence more efficient health systems.

References

Garrard, J. W., Cox, N. J., Dodds, R. M., Roberts, H. C., & Sayer, A. A. (2019). Comprehensive geriatric assessment in primary care: A systematic review. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, 32(2), 197–205. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-019-01183-w

Mwiti, B. K. (2020). Bottom-up design approach: A community-led intervention in fighting lifestyle diseases within urban informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya. Erepository.uonbi.ac.ke. http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/152984

Parry, J., Vanstone, M., Grignon, M., & Dunn, J. R. (2021). Primary care-based interventions to address the financial needs of patients experiencing poverty: A scoping review of the literature. International Journal for Equity in Health, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-021-01546-8

Robinson, P. (2021). Pharmacology, polypharmacy and the older adult: A review. British Journal of Community Nursing, 26(6), 290–295. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjcn.2021.26.6.290

Answer the following case study:

1. A patient who is 38 years of age is diagnosed with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, a hereditary disease that results in fluid-filled cysts occupying space in the kidneys. The cysts can interfere with the function of the kidney and may burst and cause bleeding inside the kidney. The patient with polycystic kidney disease may or may not have a berry aneurysm of a blood vessel in the brain that could lead to bleeding and death, cysts on the ovaries, and a mitral valve prolapse (in females) that can lead to dysrhythmias (irregular heart rhythms), or diverticula (outpouching of the bowel) that are susceptible to infection and inflammation and may lead to gastrointestinal bleeding. The patient is susceptible to retaining fluid in the abdomen so the abdomen is large to constipation, and to hypertension. There is no cure for the disease. The patient receives supportive care for the various symptoms or complications the patient may have. (Learning Objectives 1 to 3, and 5) (ISA)

a. When explaining to the patient and family about polycystic kidney disease, the nurse should explain what characteristics about an autosomal dominant genetic disease?

b. How does variable expression of genetic characteristics play a role in the course of polycystic kidney disease and how can the nurse further predict the level of the disease?

c. Identify the roles of the nurse in integrating genetics in the nursing care provided for the patient.