NR711 WK2: Organizational Needs Assessment

Purpose

The identification of a significant practice problem and associated project need are the cornerstone of a practice change project. The purpose of this assignment is to conduct an organizational needs assessment. The formulation of a comprehensive organizational needs assessment supports the professional formation of the DNP-prepared nurse. To complete the assessment of the organizational need, you will need to interview a key decision-maker at the practicum site.

Follow these guidelines when completing each component of this assignment. Contact your course faculty if you have questions.

  1. Use the most current version of the APA formatted Microsoft Word document for the DNP Program. The document is located in Student resources and saved as a Microsoft Word Document and will end in “docx.”
  2. All Chamberlain University policies related to plagiarism must be observed.
  3. Review the rubric for the grading criteria.

The assignment includes the following components:

  1. Title Page
    1. Title of the paper
    2. Student name
    3. Chamberlain University College of Nursing
    4. Course number and course name
    5. Session month and year
  2. Introduction
    1. Start your introduction with a powerful purpose statement or two to stimulate interest.
    2. Introduce the practice problem or need.
    3. Provide a preview of what the paper will include with a strong thesis sentence.
  3. Identification of the Practice Problem or Need
    1. Describe the practice problem or need.
    2. Discuss how the practice problem or need was determined.
    3. Briefly summarize the evidence in the literature which is focused on the practice problem and builds a compelling case for the practice problem. using in-text citations/ and references, to support the need for change.
    4. A minimum of 3 current (within 5 years) research articles from peer-reviewed journals are required.  The three research articles must support the significance and compelling nature of the practice problem. Non-research data can also be added to the 3 articles to support the compelling nature of the practice problem.  (Examples of sources of non-research data are the CDC, state or county Health Department, Kaiser Family Foundation, AHRQ.)
    5. Describe the source of the evidence or data at the practicum site to support the need for change at the practicum site. This may be the infection rate, obesity prevalence, or diabetic patients with A1C of 7 or higher, for example. This evidence might also be from a conversation with the organizational leader. State the source of the data that supports this need at the practicum site.
  4. Identification of Stakeholders (Stakeholders have some form of stake or interest in the project outcomes.)
    1. Identify (state explicitly) key stakeholders who will support the change.
    2. Identify (state explicitly) key stakeholders who may resist the change.
    3. Identify (state explicitly) stakeholders who will have the most influence on positive or negative changes related to your identified problem.
  5. Gap Analysis Table
    1. Complete the gap analysis table, which can be downloaded at the following link:
      1. Link (Word doc): Gap Analysis TemplateLinks to an external site.
    2. Include the table in your paper. Review the following instructions on how to copy a table in Word:
      1. Link (webpage): Move or Copy a TableLinks to an external site.
    3. Answer all of the questions completely and separately. Do not combine answers.
      1. What is currently happening at the practicum site?
      2. What should be happening at the practicum site based on current evidence?
      3. What is your practice gap? (state what is currently happening and state what should be happening)
      4. Why is there a practice gap?
      5. What factors are contributing to the practice gap?
      6. What evidence do you have to demonstrate there is a practice gap?
  6. Conclusion
    1. Write one concise paragraph, providing a clear and logical summation of the paper.
    2. Summarize the main points from the needs assessment section above. (New information should not be included in the conclusion)
  7. APA Standards and References
    1. Use appropriate Level I headers.
    2. Create the reference page with a minimum of three current (within 5 yrs) peer-reviewed journal articles.
    3. References and citations are in current APA style.
    4. Each reference has a matching citation.

Writing Requirements (APA format)

  • 1-inch margins
  • Double-spaced pages
  • 12-point Times New Roman font or 11-point Arial
  • Headings & subheadings
  • In-text citations
  • Title page
  • References page
  • Standard English usage and mechanics

You can find week 1 here

Answer Guide

Organizational Needs Assessment

Need assessment is an essential part of the planning process that can be used to improve the current state of performance or correct inefficiency. Need assessment takes into consideration a systematic process of establishing the needs and the gap between the current state and the desired states. In light of this, the practice problem identified is the high rate of uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Uncontrolled T2DM is associated with poor health outcomes and increases the risk of complications which in turn leads to a healthcare burden.  Therefore, addressing these needs is essential and critical not only to improve the health outcome of the patient but to reduce costs related to T2DM.  This paper identified a practice problem or need, stakeholders impacted by the project, and gap analysis.

Identification of the Practice Problem or Need

Diabetes is one of the major public health problems. The frequency of uncontrolled T2DM has been showing an increasing trend.  In the United States, the prevalence of diabetes is about 37 million in which approximately 95% of these individuals have T2DM (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021).   Uncontrolled DM is also associated with complications that may compromise the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and increase mortality risk and healthcare costs.    The complications associated with T2DM include macrovascular such as stroke, and coronary artery disease, and microvascular such as nephropathy, retinopathy, and neuropathy (Cannon et al., 2018)……………Unlock the Full Solution Now – Click to Get All Answers!”