Assessment Brief – Assessment 3 (Capella FlexPath)
Course: NURS-FPX4020: Improving Quality of Care and Patient Safety
Assessment Title: Implementation & Outcome Evaluation of a Safety/Quality Intervention
Due Date: [Set by instructor / target date per your pacing]
Prerequisite: Completion and mastery of Assessment 2 (Intervention Proposal)
Effort Estimate: 12–14 hours
Purpose
This assessment requires you to put into action the quality or safety intervention you proposed in Assessment 2 (within NURS-FPX4020), gather and analyze relevant outcome data, evaluate effectiveness, and reflect on implications for nursing practice. The goal is to integrate course content on patient safety, quality improvement, evidence-based practice, ethics, and leadership in a real-world or simulated context.
Requirements & Structure
Your deliverable will be a paper (approx. 6–8 pages, excluding title and reference pages) plus supplemental appendices (data tables, instruments, logs). Use APA 7th edition style.
Suggested structure / content:
- Introduction & Context (≈ ½ page)
- Restate the clinical or organizational safety/quality issue you addressed.
- Summarize your selected intervention (from Assessment 2).
- Note setting, stakeholders, timeline, and scope.
- Implementation Strategy (≈ 1 page)
- Describe step-by-step how you operationalized the intervention (roles, resources, steps).
- Define the data collection approach: what metrics, how often, tools or instruments, sampling.
- Explain how you ensured fidelity, reliability, validity, and ethical safeguards (confidentiality, consent, IRB or institutional oversight if relevant).
- Data Presentation & Analysis (≈ 1.5 pages)
- Present your data (tables, graphs, summary statistics, qualitative themes).
- Analyze results: pre/post comparisons, trends, significance (if applicable).
- Reflect whether observed changes met the expected outcomes.
- Evaluation & Interpretation (≈ 1 page)
- Critically examine what worked and what did not.
- Identify internal/external barriers, confounders, unintended effects.
- Discuss implications for patient safety, quality, cost, satisfaction, or outcomes.
- Link to Evidence, Frameworks & Theory (≈ 1 page)
- Integrate findings with the literature and theoretical frameworks (e.g., Donabedian, IHI, Lean, PDSA).
- Show how the evidence base informed adaptation, execution, and interpretation.
- Leadership, Adoption & Sustainability (≈ 1 page)
- Describe stakeholder engagement, change management strategies, communication, and leadership roles.
- Propose a plan for sustaining the intervention after the study period.
- Consider scalability, transfer to other units or settings, and barriers.
- Reflection & Professional Growth (≈ ½ page)
- Reflect on what you learned, strengths, challenges, areas for improvement.
- Discuss ethical or regulatory issues, interprofessional collaboration, and professional responsibility.
- Conclusion & Recommendations (≈ ½ page)
- Summarize key findings and practice implications.
- Offer recommendations for next steps or further inquiry.
- Appendices
- Data tables, survey or instrument copies, implementation logs, consent forms, stakeholder feedback, etc.
Format & Submission Guidelines
- Use APA 7th edition formatting for citations and references.
- Double-spaced, 12-pt Times New Roman (or equivalent), 1-inch margins.
- Include a title page and reference page (not part of the page count).
- Use clear section headings aligned with the structure above.
Competency Mapping & Rubric
You will be judged across competencies typical for NURS-FPX4020, such as:
- Application of safety & quality improvement science
- Rigor of implementation & methodological soundness
- Data analysis, interpretation, and evidence integration
- Leadership, stakeholder engagement, change strategies
- Ethical, professional, and interprofessional conduct
- Reflection, self-assessment, and growth
You must meet or exceed the “Proficient” level in all rubric dimensions to achieve mastery.
Retakes & Feedback
- Submit your work via the FlexPath assessment portal.
- You have up to three submission attempts. You’ll receive feedback tied to specific rubric criteria.
- You must master all criteria before proceeding to the next component in the course.
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Assessment 2 (Capella FlexPath)
Course: NURS-FPX4020: Improving Quality of Care and Patient Safety
Assessment 2: Intervention Proposal for a Quality or Safety Issue
Due Date: [Per learner pacing]
Effort Estimate: 10–12 hours
Purpose
This assessment requires you to develop a detailed proposal for a quality improvement or patient safety intervention addressing a clinical or organizational problem. You will synthesize evidence, apply quality improvement frameworks, and plan an intervention that you will later implement and evaluate in Assessment 3.
Requirements & Structure
Your deliverable will be a paper (5–7 pages, excluding title and references). Use APA 7th edition style.
Suggested structure / content:
- Introduction (≈ ½ page)
- Introduce the safety or quality issue you are addressing.
- Summarize the significance of the problem (impact on patient outcomes, cost, staff burden, organizational performance).
- State the purpose of your intervention proposal.
- Problem Statement & Context (≈ 1 page)
- Clearly define the problem (use organizational data, patient outcomes, or evidence from literature).
- Describe the context/setting (unit, clinic, organization) and stakeholders affected.
- Identify current gaps in practice, barriers, or contributing factors.
- Evidence Review & Rationale (≈ 1.5 pages)
- Summarize 4–6 peer-reviewed sources (2019–2025) that support your proposed intervention.
- Highlight key findings, best practices, or guidelines.
- Explain why this intervention is evidence-based and appropriate for your setting.
- Proposed Intervention Plan (≈ 1.5–2 pages)
- Describe the intervention in detail (what will be done, by whom, and how).
- Identify tools, protocols, or models to guide implementation (e.g., Plan-Do-Study-Act, Lean, Six Sigma, Donabedian framework).
- Outline roles and responsibilities of nursing staff, interprofessional team members, or leadership.
- Define anticipated outcomes (clinical, safety, cost, or satisfaction metrics).
- Implementation Strategy (≈ 1 page)
- Outline a realistic implementation timeline (phases, milestones).
- Identify needed resources (training, equipment, technology, policies).
- Address risk management and ethical/legal considerations (HIPAA, informed consent, organizational policy).
- Plan for stakeholder communication and engagement.
- Evaluation Plan (≈ ½–1 page)
- Identify how success will be measured (outcome indicators, data collection tools, frequency).
- Describe how you will analyze data (quantitative or qualitative methods).
- Explain how evaluation will inform decisions for sustainability and scaling.
- Conclusion (≈ ½ page)
- Summarize the proposed intervention and its anticipated impact.
- Highlight how the plan advances quality and safety in your practice environment.
Format & Submission
- APA 7th edition style, double-spaced, 12-pt Times New Roman, 1-inch margins.
- Title page and reference page required.
- Use clear section headings.
- Submit through the FlexPath assessment portal.
Competency Alignment
Your proposal will be evaluated on how well it demonstrates:
- Quality & Safety Science: Accurate identification of a problem, rationale for intervention.
- Evidence-Based Practice: Integration of current evidence supporting the intervention.
- Planning & Design: Clear, feasible, evidence-based intervention proposal.
- Leadership & Collaboration: Strategies for engaging stakeholders and leading change.
- Ethics & Professionalism: Consideration of patient rights, safety, confidentiality, and professional standards.
Retakes & Feedback
- You will receive faculty feedback aligned with rubric criteria (Distinguished, Proficient, Basic, Nonperformance).
- Resubmissions are allowed until all competencies reach at least “Proficient.”
- Mastery of Assessment 2 is required before attempting Assessment 3