Capstone Change Project Objectives Objectives To reduce the rate of new infections for at-risk patients

As mentioned earlier, diabetic patients and those with heart diseases of all ages are at risk of getting hospital-acquired COVID-19 infection and passing it to their carers. To minimize this probability, the telemedicine program will help reduce the number of physical visits to the healthcare facility and, consequently, the number of new infections.

To reduce congestion at the ICU

From the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak in Florida, the number of new admissions at the ICU escalated, and so did the mortality rates. This caused a lot of congestion and demand for scarce resources (Hu et al., 2020). Reducing the high traffic to the ICU is highly crucial, and by setting up the telemedicine program, this can be achieved.

Increase patient education on self-care

One way to ensure that patients are taking care of themselves effectively is for the nurse practitioner to ensure that the information the patients and their carers have is well understood. The program can only be successful if the patients are caring for themselves as per the protocols they are taught. Thus, patient understanding will be evaluated frequently, while patients will be encouraged to ask questions to which they will receive timely and accurate direction and answers.

Establish telemedicine as a viable and continuous tool for patient care beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 outbreak has been an eye-opener on how unprepared the healthcare system is to handle mass medical emergencies. On the other hand, this has made way for telemedicine to be showcased in its effectiveness as an alternative to increasing patient-centered care, increasing efficiency, and establishing the same as a viable and accepted way of caring for patients.

Autonomy and Social Justice for Individuals and Diverse Populations.

Patient autonomy refers to a patient’s ability to decide on the type of treatment plan they opt to have. This decision is made only after all the information abutment is availed to the patient, including the cons of such a treatment, other available options, and even the option not to consent to the treatment. Once the patient or their kin (where the patient cannot make the decision) understand this information, an informed consent form has to be signed. The informed consent form implies that the patient has understood what the treatment plan entails and determines that the decisions they make are out of their own free will and no coercion was involved (Kilbride & Joffe, 2018).

Social justice in caring for patients refers to using the available resources fairly and equitably without discrimination. Hospital resources may sometimes be scarce, such as the availability of a renal system for dialysis where the functional units are fewer than the number of patients wanting to utilize the same. When resources are scarce, it is the onus of the healthcare facility to ensure no patient is favored over another and that the quality of care is not compromised (Matwick & Woodgate, 2017).

This project will fulfill both ethical principles of autonomy and justice. In fulfilling independence, the patients participating in the program will be required to give their consent to take part. As mentioned in the previous section of this project, the patients will be called to a Zoom meeting and informed of the proposed project. The participants will be allowed to ask every question regarding the project and be provided with all the relevant information. Based on the information they get and on the satisfaction they have with the answers they receive, the participants will be requested to sign a digital consent form ascertaining they have understood the requirements, commit to adhering to the guidelines, and will be free to pull out at any time during the project.

In ensuring social justice, the healthcare facility, as with others across the country, has to strain over its resources, specifically the ICU. Minimizing the number of visits by at-risk patients will indirectly reduce the number of persons admitted to the ICU due to COVID-19 infections.

References

Hu, L. Q., Wang, J., Huang, A., Wang, D., & Wang, J. (2020). COVID-19 and improved prevention of hospital-acquired infection. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 125(3), e318-e319.

Kilbride, M. K., & Joffe, S. (2018). The new age of patient autonomy: implications for the patient-physician relationship. Jama, 320(19), 1973-1974.