In your healthcare career, you will be confronted with many problems that demand a solution. By using research skills, you can learn what others are doing and saying about similar problems. Then, you can analyze the problem and the people and systems it affects. You can also examine potential solutions and their ramifications. This assessment allows you to practice this approach with the real-world problem you’ve selected.
For this assessment, you will analyze the same current healthcare problem or issue topic area you selected for Assessments 2 and 3. To explore the chosen topic, use the first four topics of the Socratic Problem-Solving Approach for critical thinking.
- Start by defining the healthcare problem or issue based on the selected healthcare topic.
- Provide details about the problems or issues that are part of the chosen topic, and identify causes for the problems or issues.
- Identify at least three scholarly or academic peer-reviewed journal articles about the topic you are discussing by using articles you found for Assessment 2 or by searching the Capella library using the BSN Program Library Research Guide.
- Use scholarly information to explain a healthcare problem or issue related to your selected topic.
- Cite credible, relevant sources to validate and reinforce the information used to explain the healthcare topic.
- Analyze the problem or issue.
- Describe the setting or context for the problem or issue.
- Describe the reasons that make the problem or issue important to you.
- Identify groups of people affected by the problem or issue.
- Compare and contrast potential solutions for the problem or issue.
- Describe potential solutions.
- Compare and contrast your opinion with other opinions you find in sources from the Capella library.
- Provide the pros and cons for one of the solutions you are proposing.
- Explain how the ethical principles (beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice) apply if your potential solution were implemented.
- Describe what would be necessary to implement the proposed solution.
- Explain what ethical principles need to be considered (beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice) and how they apply if your potential solution were implemented. How would bias need to be considered?
- Provide examples from the literature to support the points you are making.
- Explain how the solution you present will benefit or help to improve your selected topic as it relates to at least one of the Four Spheres of Care:
- Wellness, Disease Prevention.
- Chronic Disease Management.
- Regenerative/Restorative Care.
- Hospice and Palliative Care.
Organize your paper using the following structure and headings:
- Title page. (A separate page.)
- Introduction. (A one-paragraph statement about the purpose of the paper.)
- Identify the elements of the problem, issue, or question.
- Analyze, define, and frame the problem, issue, or question.
- Consider solutions, responses, or answers.
- Choose a solution, response, or answer.
- Implementation of the potential solution.
- Conclusion. (One paragraph.)
Your paper should meet the following requirements:
- Length: Include at least 3–5 typed, double-spaced pages, in addition to the title page and reference page.
- Font and font size: Use Times New Roman, 12 point.
- Writing: Produce text with minimal grammar, usage, spelling, and mechanical errors.
- Sources: Integrate into text appropriate use of scholarly sources, evidence, and citation style.
- References: Use at least three scholarly or academic peer-reviewed journal articles and three in-text citations within the paper. Visit Evidence and APA if needed. Use scholarly or academic peer-reviewed journal articles published during the past 3–5 years that relate to your topic. Visit BSN Program Library Research Guide for help with research.
Example assessment: You may use the Assessment 5 Example [PDF] to give you an idea of what a Proficient or higher rating on the scoring guide would look like.
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:
- Competency 1: Apply information literacy and library research skills to obtain scholarly information in the field of healthcare.
- Use scholarly information to explain a healthcare problem or issue.
- Competency 2: Apply scholarly information through critical thinking to solve problems in the field of healthcare.
- Analyze a healthcare problem or issue.
- Compare and contrast potential solutions for a problem or issue.
- Explain how a presented solution will benefit or help to improve a selected healthcare topic or issue as it relates to at least one of the Four Spheres of Care.
- Competency 3: Apply ethical principles and academic standards to the study of healthcare.
- Explain the ethical principles (beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice) that need to be considered if a potential solution were implemented.
- Competency 5: Write for a specific audience, in an appropriate tone and style, in accordance with Capella writing standards.
- Produce text with minimal grammatical, usage, spelling, and mechanical errors.
- Integrate into text appropriate use of scholarly sources, evidence, and citation style.
