Hello, and welcome to today’s tutorial on various aspects of an intervention developed to manage a patient with Alzheimer’s disease. To begin with, we will evaluate the impact of the intervention on the patient. We will then explore the process of research and the use of evidence. We will then analyze how the intervention embraces technology, explore the impact of various policies, and evaluate the project’s outcomes. Finally, we will evaluate professional and personal growth.
The patient is a seventy-four-year-old Hispanic American with AD. She is accompanied by her spouse and two children. According to her family, the patient was diagnosed with AD five years ago. They report that she has struggled with medication adherence for the past five years. Currently, she presents with muscle twitches, confusion, and vocalization of repetitive statements. Further evaluation reveals that the patient experiences difficulty recognizing her children. Her spouse reports that the patient has demonstrated anterograde amnesia over the past two months. Her thought process and impulse control are preserved. As such, the patient is likely to have moderate Alzheimer’s disease.
The intervention involved changing the patient’s lifestyle and using pharmacotherapy. Firstly, in 2021, Galvin, Aisen, Langbaum, Rodriguez, Sabbagh, Stefanacci, Stern, and Vassey reported that pharmaceutical methods offer symptomatic management for AD. These methods (pharmacotherapy) produce the best results for persons with mild to moderate AD. As a result, an improved prognosis for AD can be achieved with early diagnosis and treatment. This is relevant because the patient presented with manifestations of moderate AD. Regarding pharmacological methods, my intervention enhanced medication adherence by utilizing telehealth strategies such as audio messages and alarms, as reported by De Marchi, Contaldi, Magistrelli, Cantello, Comi, and Mazzini in 2021. Secondly, lifestyle modification focuses on eating habits and exercise. Writing in 2021, Galvin, Aisen, Langbaum, Rodriguez, Sabbagh, Stefanacci, Stern, and Vassey reported that dietary guidelines include plans with alkylidene, fresh produce, and a moderate amount of simple carbohydrates. Also, optimal cardiorespiratory activity reduces AD-related brain atrophy.
The patient and her family were intrigued by the intervention. They reported that this would be their first encounter with telehealth technology. Notably, they looked forward to embracing recorded message reminders and alarms to improve adherence to the treatment plan. Also, the patient and her family were excited about using videoconferencing to provide real-time consultative sessions. They admitted that this would create flexibility in access to healthcare. Regarding lifestyle modification, the patient and her family were willing to engage in at least three weekly sessions of moderate physical activity. According to them, they were ready to adhere to the care plan because they were actively involved in the formulation of the plan. Furthermore, the plan was individualized for the patient.
The intervention enhances patient and family experiences. Firstly, De Marchi, Contaldi, Magistrelli, Cantello, Comi, and Mazzini, writing in 2021, reported that the use of telehealth increases access to healthcare services by eliminating the need for in-person visits. Ease of access to healthcare is associated with better control of the disease and optimized patient outcomes. Ease of access to healthcare services will be facilitated by videoconferencing and mobile health. Secondly, De Marchi, Contaldi, Magistrelli, Cantello, Comi, and Mazzini, writing in 2021, reported that using mobile health features such as message reminders improves compliance with the treatment plan, hence better patient outcomes. As such, the intervention will reduce patient hospitalizations and lower healthcare costs.
Now, I would like to discuss the use of evidence in the formulation of my capstone project. Firstly, I sought my evidence from scholarly websites and online databases. Regarding scholarly websites, I used websites published by governmental departments, industrial bodies, universities, and research institutions. These websites end in domains such as .edu, .org, and .gov. Regarding online databases, I used PubMed and Google Scholar. These databases contain peer-reviewed journal articles that guided my research. Furthermore, the databases allow the user to customize searches. For instance, the user can select the type of articles and specify the currency of the journal articles. I used specific words to search to obtain relevant evidence. For in