NURS-FPX 8045 Doctoral Writing and Professional Practice

Prof. Name

Date

Synthesis of Evidence Substantiating an Intervention

Achieving success in patient care is critical in health settings by addressing issues like nursing shortages. Lima Memorial Hospital (LMH) is dealing with the practice gap of nurse shortage. Based on the Ohio Nursing Association (ONA) report, around 83.21% of nursing staff faced significant turnover, leading to insufficient staffing and poor care services (Ohio, n.d.). The assessment focuses on empirical research, and leadership can employ targeted initiatives to close the gap and maintain an appropriate patient-to-nurse ratio in the hospital. 

Introduction of Gap in Practice

Adequate nursing numbers in health settings are crucial to offering improved care provision and fulfilling the needs of patients. The shortage of nurses is a significant practice gap noted in the LMH. The internal data of LMH reveals that 12% of its total nursing positions are unoccupied, with 500 recognized certified nurses and 75 left vacant. The staff poll at LMH found nurse burnout, with 65% indicating overwork due to shortages of nurses. Overall number of licensed nurses in American hospitals fell by 100,000 in 2021, posing issues like nurse discontent, poor patient safety, and fatalities (Lucy, 2024). The data reveals shortcomings in allocating assets, poor planning, retention and hiring approaches, and a lack of nurse training (Vries et al., 2023). Disparity in the practice of nursing scarcity underlines the critical necessity of strategic efforts to boost care quality and achieve effective outcomes.

PICO(T) Question

A PICOT question formulation is vital for closing the nursing shortage practice disparity identified at LMH. The PICO(T) is: In licensed nurses at LMH (P), does improved retention and recruitment policy (I), compared to current strategies without adequate policy (C) improve nurses’ satisfaction and retention (O) over 12 weeks (T)? PICO(T) entails hiring and retention policy interventions, including a positive workplace, offering staff training, compensation packages, and adequate retention and hiring strategy (Pressley & Garside, 2023). The PICO(T) questions focus on boosting the retention and job satisfaction of registered nurses at LMH, improving care quality and patient safety over 12 weeks.

The strategic implementation of retention and hiring policies is an effective intervention for closing the recognized practice gap of the nurse shortage at LMH and improving clinical outcomes. A recent study has revealed the significance of retention and hiring policies in managing nursing shortages; Peters et al. (2023) emphasized the importance of retention and recruitment strategies like building a supportive atmosphere and motivation through training in boosting nurse satisfaction and retention, which are consistent with the concepts underlying extensive hiring and retention policies. Implementing a recruitment and retention policy represents a paradigm change toward effective care practices. 

An adequate scope for a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project includes a targeted and attainable goal that deals with a particular healthcare issue in LMH. The retention and hiring policies intervention to solve the nursing shortage have a direct impact on medical care quality and results. Applying policy interventions aligns with the DNP’s scope of enhancing care and patient outcomes. The intervention complies with the DNP project; it supports evidence-based practice to resolve understaffing, such as increasing recruiting and retention by training and creating a positive workplace (Pressley & Garside, 2023). The DNP project entails establishing, implementing, and assessing the success of the change by introducing retention and hiring policies to improve the nursing shortage issue at LMH. 

Overview of Chosen Scholarly Articles

Current research articles offer persuasive data supporting the introduction of interventions aimed at enhancing nurse satisfaction and retention, resolving the recognized practice disparity at LMH. Vries et al. (2023), performed a systematic review assessing the effect of workplace settings on nurse retention and fulfillment in hospitals. The study found that poor nursing leadership and management and an unattractive work environment cause nurse burnout. Offering a respectful environment, social assistance, and adequate work-life balance play a crucial part in improving nurse retention. These findings underscore the necessity of retention and hiring policy to optimize nurse shortage and satisfaction.

Oates et al. (