Leveraged Healthcare Technology to Improve Outcomes/Communication with Patient
In this section, I will throw some light on the extent to which I successfully leveraged healthcare technology in this capstone project to improve outcomes and communication with Michael. Healthcare technologies facilitate better management of long-term diseases like diabetes where chronic care treatment requires to be delivered. For this purpose, healthcare technologies like EHR, telehealth, telemonitoring, and remote monitoring can be effective tools to monitor care treatments and improve communication with patients (Kim et al., 2022).
In my capstone project, I planned to implement remote monitoring of Michael to observe his medication adherence behavior. This technology has the potential to improve diabetes outcomes as medication therapy is equally important in patients who have high blood glucose levels to a dangerous level. Moreover, the apps with remote monitoring features also have the specialty to communicate with patients where health professionals can guide patients on medication management improving communication between patients and healthcare professionals.
The prospective improvements in healthcare technology use that can be made to enhance diabetes outcomes can include the use of continuous glucose monitoring technology which can provide continuous blood glucose level measurements digitally. This will help healthcare professionals manage diabetes effectively as the wide trends in blood glucose level fluctuations can be estimated through CGM. This can further improve diabetes management in patients with type-2 diabetes (Martens et al., 2021).
Influence of Health Policy on Planning and Implementation of Capstone Project
The HITCH Act of 2009 has established various provisions on the use of health information technologies. One of the provisions of this Act includes the adoption and implementation of health information technologies to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of care treatment provided to patients (HIPAA Journal, 2023). Owing to this policy based on technology and its implementation, I planned to introduce remote monitoring, a technology-based intervention that could help manage Michael’s condition effectively. Furthermore, the American Nursing Association provided nursing practice standards that involved care coordination (Brunt & Russell, 2022).
The DSMES program involved the implementation of care coordination as the multidisciplinary team was included to provide Michael with education and support on self-management of diabetes in various aspects of his life. For example, diabetes educators, physical therapists, dieticians, nurses, and primary care physicians delivered coordinated care in the DSMES program. These health policies influenced profoundly on planning and implementation of this capstone project by providing an idea on the implementation of health technology and care coordination in clinical practices.
Furthermore, this capstone project contributed to the development of a policy in our hospital where patients with diabetes who live far from our hospital are enabled to acquire this intervention of remote monitoring. Health professionals will be able to monitor diabetics who need to travel from far distances. The baccalaureate-prepared nurse played a massive role in the development and implementation of the policy by implementing specific change management strategies that can convince healthcare authorities to add a particular health policy. The nurses are the primary caretakers of patients and know patients’ requirements and preferences by which they can estimate what care treatment and strategy can help them recover in a better way; therefore, through their insightful knowledge, they can play a role in policy development and implementation.
Analysis of Capstone Project Outcomes and Comparison with Initial Predictions
While planning for this capstone project of the proposed intervention, the initial predictions included lowered blood glucose levels from 315 mg/dL along with lower hospital visits. Moreover, it was predicted that Michael will attain a regulated blood glucose level due to proper medication adherence and consistent lifestyle modifications. The outcomes of this capstone project successfully matched the initial predictions as Michael’s blood glucose level lowered down from the initial measurement. The frequency of hospital revisits was reduced as a result of remote monitoring. Furthermore, through lifestyle modifications and medication adherence, Michael’s blood glucose levels became regular (< 180mg/dL).
The proposed interventions can be adopted as a best practice as they are evidence-based and derived from peer-reviewed literature. Moreover, as Michael’s blood glucose le
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