Alignment with learning outcome(s):
| 1 | Demonstrate research literacy skills in searching, critiquing and applying evidence |
| 3 | Analyse health literacy as it applies to self-management for people with chronic illness/es |
| 4 | Identify the legal and ethical issues that arise from changes to cognition, chronic and life limiting illness and the impact on chronic illness management |
| 5 | Evaluate the impact of ageing in the context of health and illness for older people in the community |
| 6 | Differentiate the roles of nurses working in interprofessional teams who care for people with chronic and/or life limiting illness in different healthcare environments |
| 7 | Utilise the health promotion, supportive and palliative approaches to care for people with chronic and life limiting illness in a range of healthcare settings |
| 8 | Apply the Evidence Base Practice Framework to nursing practice focusing on chronic illness management and ageing in primary healthcare practice |
Overview
AT2 develops the themes of primary care practice and the application of research evidence in the nurse/midwife role of educator by applying the skills in library databases searching for clinical decision-making use of the best available evidence.
Background to the topic
In May 2021 the Australian Government released its response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. The final report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety characterizes the aged care sector as one in systematic crisis and lists 148 recommendations to improve the quality and safety of older people in aged care homes. All people who work or participate in aged care such as nurses, care workers, administrators, or older people and their families would find this report informative.
Recommendation 16 of the report states that:
- Evidence suggests widespread overuse of sedatives in aged care facilities with multiple consequences for quality of life.
- Strengthened restraint legislative provisions will commence from 1 July 2021. These provisions will:
- Clearly define restraint
- Clarify consent arrangements
- Ensure that restraint is used only as a last resort following the deployment of alternative behaviour management strategies
Preparation for creating your paper
- Read the following recommendations of the report:
- Recommendation 1: A new Act (p.1)
- Recommendation 17: Regulation of restraints (p.15)
- View this video: Reducing use of sedatives – Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
- Review the modules on library database searching and EBP
- Read chapters 2, 5 and 6 of the prescribed text by Greenhalgh et.al (2020)
- Read widely on the topic to identify potential/possible clinical issues for your research question
- Read the methods section of 2-3 systematic review papers to understand how a methods section is structured to answer a clinical question
References in the event the hyperlinks above break
- australian-government-response-to-the-final-report-of-the-royal-commission-into-aged-care-quality-and-safety.pdf
- What will the aged care royal commission recommend? We think we know, and how the government will respond – ABC News
- Reducing use of sedatives – video | Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
Assignment instructions
After completing the preparation activities, you are required to write an abbreviated proposal for a systematic review using the supplied template below.
Your proposed systematic review will examine an aspect of overprescribing of sedatives for chemical restraint in aged care homes. Write your proposed systematic review using the four headings (Title, Background, Table and References) in the order presented below:
- Title of your proposed research (approx. 25 words or less, title is centred and not included in the word count)
- Backgroundto the research problem (approx. 400 words, heading is left aligned and included in the word count)
Use the information provided below to develop the background of your proposed research.
- Introduce the topic and background of your proposed research, state why it is important (i.e. justify your research), and signpost/indicate the main points you will discuss.
- Discuss the circumstances in which chemical restraint of an older person is appropriate and the legislative requirements that now govern the practice.
- Describe consent arrangements for use of chemical restraints.
- Summarize the role of the Registered Nurse as educator and supervisor of the Enrolled Nurse and others (refer to Registered Nurse Standards 2016)
- Table presenting the research question and methods (approx. 150 words, heading is left aligned and included in the word count)
Write your answers in this linked template in landscape format.
- Construct your systematic review research question using the PICO format: Person, Intervention, Comparison (not included in the word count).
- Based on the PICO format, present your literature search strategy. You will need to include your search terms, the databases you would search, as well as the study inclusion and exclusion criteria (not included in the word count).
- Summarize the main findings of the best 1-2 research paper(s) you retrieve in your literature search (approx. 75 words and included in the word count).
- Discuss the level of evidence for the main findings (approx. 75 words and included in the word count).
- References(heading is centred and not included in the word count)
Q & A sessions: a recorded session will be scheduled during the semester. You will be notified of the date on the forum
Release date: 25th February 2022
Due date: Monday, 4th of April, 4.30pm
Word limit: 550 words (+/- 10%) – equivalent to the workload of 3000 words (+/- 10%). The total word count should be approximately 550 words (+/- 10%). The term “word equivalence” confuses some students. The best way to understand this term is to appreciate the amount of work that is required before an abstract of a journal article or executive summary of a report can be written. To write your abbreviated proposal you will need to do the amount of work required for a 3000-word essay. Monash University policy on word equivalence can be found here.
Value: 35%
Presentation requirements:
- The submission file must be labeled correctly with (a) the student’s university ID number, (b) assessment task number and (c) the unit code (i.e., xxxxxxxx_ATx_NURxxxx.doc.)
- The header must contain: (a) the student’s university ID number and (b) the unit code.
- The footer must contain (a) assignment number, (b) page number and (c) date of submission.
- Use A4 format only with 2.5cm margins on each side of the page.
- Use 11 or 12 font Arial or Calibri, double-space the lines and align the text to the left.
- Submit in Microsoft Word format only; do not submit as PDF or Pages document.
- You are required to use APA 7th referencing style in this unit.
- Write within the suggested total word count +/-10%. In academic submissions, the word count does not generally include tables. However, in this assignment please follow the instructions above. The word count does include the in-text citations. The word count does not include the reference list or appendices. Please refer to the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Assessment Word Count Guidelines for more details.
- Dot points are not generally used in academic submissions. However, dot points are acceptable and generally used to list information in tables.
- Insert the linked table template into your assignment, placing it after the “Background to the research problem” and before the reference list.
- Place the total word count after the table template and before the reference list.
How to Submit Your Report:
All written reports must be submitted to Turnitin (a similarity software that provides instant feedback) first. Please note that year three (3) students are permitted only one (1) Turnitin submission per assessment. Your Turnitin report will automatically upload to the Dropbox. Submit your assignment.
Criteria for marking:
- Click here to view the marking rubric