NURS FPX 4905 Assessment 2 Define and Analyze Your Healthcare Process Problem or Issue of Concern

NURS FPX 4905 Assessment 2 Define and Analyze Your Healthcare Process Problem or Issue of Concern 

Student Name

University

NURS-FPX4905

Professor Name

Submission Date

Define and Analyze Your Healthcare Process Problem or Issue of Concern

Senior citizens have been susceptible to feeling anxious, and there are a number of these that can cause serious psychological and physical problems and affect their quality of life. A psychiatric nurse needs to recognize, treat, and manage the patient’s anxiety disorder, as well as monitor the patient and avoid any potential harm or risk that might be experienced in this process. Furthermore, nurses need to recognize potential issues regarding healthcare processes that can occur throughout the delivery of care, and that can be uncovered by process analysis. This will be based on a problem of Healthcare Process related to anxiety in Elderly patients and its impact on patient safety, Quality of patient health care service provided, efficiency of the healthcare delivery process, and cost.

Practicum Setting Description

The practicum will take place in the mental health/psychiatry department with an emphasis on care of the elderly patient with anxiety disorders. It is a perfect place to evaluate and manage anxiety issues and any other issues elderly individuals might end up with due to growing older, like loneliness, loss of independence, and health issues. Elderly individuals are quite common and have a tendency to show anxious behaviors like worries, restlessness, tiredness, insomnia, and lack of concentration, which hinder their daily routine. According to the World Health Organization, anxiety disorders occur in approximately 10-20% of older adults, with most cases of anxiety not being diagnosed or treated.

The age of the patients in the present study is above 60 years; their socio-economic status is different, and they do not have proper support systems in the family and society. The number of older people is increasing all over the world. In 2023, it was estimated that 1 in 6 people in the world’s population will be aged 60 years or older. But it would increase to about 2.1 billion in 2050, or 20% of the population. This can underscore the need for mental health interventions for older persons, including their anxiety disorders. It is an interprofessional ward, with psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, geriatricians, psychologists, social workers, and lots more. Nursing practice includes assessment of signs and symptoms, management of medicines, counselling, and protecting the patient. They regularly meet with patients to enhance their health.

As far as my placement in the mental health team of patients who have an anxiety disorder, some decisions have been taken to ensure that the treatment is delivered in an efficient way. These include the use of appropriate anti-anxiety medication, dosage depending on the patient’s response to their medication, and perhaps whether any type of self-education program would be necessary to accomplish treatment. This program can contain relaxation strategies like deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation. When prescribing to older adults, existing health concerns need to be taken into account, as they may be susceptible to side effects as well as drug side effects. In addition, the specialist needed to determine how soon the patient could leave the hospital, coordinate with the social workers, and provide services after leaving the hospital to prevent a rehospitalization or recurrence of the patient’s illness. I would suggest that I would take a look at the patient and report any changes in symptoms and help monitor the effectiveness of the medication that is decided upon. The results of a decision-making process would be a reduction in anxiety, better sleep, better functioning, and a reduction in anxiety disorders.

Identification of Process Issue

The idea of assessment and follow-up for anxiety disorders in older adults was a challenge during the practicum. This problem has major impacts on the treatment and health of the patients. Some of the elderly patients are diagnosed with anxiety disorders because of symptoms like sleep disturbances, worry, and agitation, but screening and follow-up have not been developed. Authors state that 10-20% of older adults have anxiety disorders. However, they are difficult to detect and may be confused with common problems of the ageing process and may be linked to other health problems. While there has been screening of patients in hospitals during my practicum, there has been no follow-up on these patients since then, and this may have increased patients’ anxiety symptoms. Consequences of this will include a change in the patient’s psychological condition, social isolation, failure to follow the treatment regimen, increased incidence of other illnesses, and increased hospitalization due to the non-treatment. Anxiety disorders can cause significant impairments in a patient’s functioning if they are not treated.

Analysis of Process Impact on Quality, Safety, and Cost

Poor periodic monitoring and follow-up of anxious elderly can have a profound impact on patient outcomes as well as the quality, safety, and efficiency of the health system. In terms of quality, patients are not receiving the correct treatment, the proper assessment gives rise to improper treatment planning, symptom assessment is inadequate, and the patient is not happy with the treatment. For a lot of older patients, anxiety disorder may be a chronic condition, and they will experience the same symptoms repeatedly, impacting their functionality and leading to adverse health outcomes. Considering the personal safety aspect, the absence of monitoring could be associated with deterioration of the patient’s condition, failure to provide the right treatment, side effects, etc.  The second problem is that some elderly people don’t go to the doctor because they don’t mention their symptoms, and it is therefore not possible to judge their current health. Lastly, on the financial front, mismanaged anxiety is more expensive for the health care systems and for the family of the patient. Moreover, if not regularly checked, there is a higher risk of symptoms occurring again, which means there are extra costs of treatment. In general, the problem can be attributed to the absence of a uniform protocol for screening and follow-up of anxiety among older people.

Organization and Logical Flow of Content

When talking about anxiety disorders among geriatric clients, it is essential to develop arguments logically so that the reader can easily understand all the key concepts concerning the topic under discussion. The first step to the practicum is to introduce the student to the delivery of medical services at the practicum site. Second, some data on the demographics of the patients accessing health care in this specific setting can be given. In this context, the development of a theoretical framework in which to maneuver all the most significant aspects related to geriatric patients and health care institutions where they receive care can be followed by the formulation of further arguments on how clinical and organizational decisions affect the outcomes of geriatric patients with anxiety disorders. It would then be logical to tackle the issue of anxiety disorders’ management in older adults, and then provide information about why this is a problem. Additionally, it would be appropriate to talk about the effect of the particular problem identified on important factors in the delivery of healthcare, such as quality, safety, and costs. Finally, it is important to wrap up the above points of discussion and show the importance of the necessity for changing the current treatment paradigm for anxiety disorders in older adults.

Conclusion

Being anxious about growing old is a serious issue and needs constant surveillance and intervention with suitable follow-up measures. It can actually help fill gaps within the healthcare process and help attain better symptom control, patient safety, and prevent waste in the healthcare system. If appropriate procedures are carried out, the psychological and general condition of old people can really be enhanced.