NURS 6341 Week 6 Discussion: Applying Biopsychosocial Science to Improve Patient Quality of Care

Applying Biopsychosocial Science to Improve Patient Quality of Care NURS 6341 Week 6 Discussion

NURS 6341 Week 6: Advancing Skills in Specialties of Interest

A common characteristic found in all great teachers is a love of their subject, an obvious satisfaction found in arousing this love in their students, and an ability to convince them that what they are being taught is deadly serious.

—J. Epstein

Think about what you see and what you note as you engage in clinical activities in your practicum setting. From your observations, how do the nurses who are regarded as “experts” provide quality care? In what ways do they bring both a telescopic and a wide-angle view of their patients and their specialty to their nursing practice?

This week you continue to advance your awareness in your specialty of interest by exploring how the physical, emotional, and social dimensions, also known as the “biopsychosocial science,” of illness and recovery are woven together in the application of highly skilled care. As a nurse with advanced knowledge, you reflect on how you negotiate these multiple dimensions and nuanced requirements, and as a nurse educator, how you will present or develop them in others.

NURS 6341 Week 6 Discussion: Applying Biopsychosocial Science to Improve Patient Quality of Care

Learning Objectives

Students will 

• Analyze biopsychosocial strategies that improve patient care
• Analyze current research literature for applicability to specialty areas of interest
• Evaluate a practicum experience in the context of quality*
• Analyze opportunities for integrating quality measures into the nursing classroom*
• Construct a detailed practicum log**

* You continue working on the Assignment related to this Learning Objective, first introduced in Week 4 and submitted in Week 7.

** You continue working on the assignment related to this Learning Objective, first introduced in Week 1 and submitted in Week 7.

Order Now for a top nursing paper on NURS 6341 Week 6 Discussion: Applying Biopsychosocial Science to Improve Patient Quality of Care

Discussion: Applying Biopsychosocial Science to Improve Patient Quality of Care

Respond to the discussion #2 below using the following approach:

1. Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence, or research.
2. Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
3. Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.

According to Engel (2012), the “BPS [Biopsychosocial] model is an interdisciplinary model that assumes that health and wellness are caused by a complex interaction of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors” (para. 1).  Psychological factors of health include issues with self control or emotions while social factors include socioeconomic status, culture, and poverty, and biological components of health include pathogens that cause illness (Engel, 2012).   Healthcare providers must consider all three components of health when caring for their patients in order to provide high quality care.  Throughout this discussion, biopsychosocial strategies to improve the quality of care for patients, the family, and the community will be discussed.

Strategy for the patient

A strategy to improve the quality of care for the patient includes providing patient-centered care.  According to Sanders, Foster, Bishop, and Nio Ong (2013), healthcare providers must care for the whole person in context of their values and position in the community.  These authors further state that it is imperative for healthcare providers to make decisions collaboratively with patients and consider a range of therapeutic interventions that align with the patient’s social and psychological factors as well as the biological factors of their health.  Providing patient-centered care requires the health care provider to identify the patient’s psychosocial obstacles to recovery, acknowledge the patient’s concerns, and structure communication with patients in a manner that aligns with the patient’s values (Sanders et al., 2013).  For example, medication use is affected by the patient’s emotions, self-regulation skills, how their practitioner supports them, and the patient’s perceived ability to pay for them (Suls, Krantz, & Williams, 2013).  Medications are only effective for as long as a patient takes them.  Therefore, healthcare providers must collaborate with the patient when choosing the appropriate treatment for each patient considering the patient’s biological, psychological, and social components of health.

In my practicum setting, a patient presented to the clinic for a follow-up appointment regarding her diabetes.  She had been seen by an endocrinologist because her blood sugars were out of control and she was at the maximum dosage of metformin.  The endocrinologist prescribed trulicity for this patient.  When my preceptor asked if the patient was taking this medication, the patient replied that she was not taking it because she did not know how to use it, and her insurance sent her a letter stating the company was no longer going to pay for this particular medication.  My preceptor provided patient-centered care in understanding the patient’s comfort level with giving herself injections by providing the patient education in how to use the medication.  My preceptor then told her that if she had any additional questions, she could call the clinic or report to her pharmacy.  My preceptor also addressed the patient’s perceived ability to pay for the medication by instructing the patient to call the endocrinologist to see if there was a similar medication that could be used in the place of trulicity.

Strategy for the family

Another biopsychosocial strategy that can be used to improve the quality of care a patient receives is providing family-centered care.  According to Rawson and Moretz (2016), family is identified as close blood relatives, a spouse or same-sex partner, and/or a group of friends.  Family is considered a social component of a patient’s health and can have a great influence on the health of the patient.  Family members have valuable input and can be educated to be effective partners in the care of the patient (Rawson & Moretz, 2016).  Health care providers must consider the family member’s values, beliefs, and needs in the context of the patient’s care.  According to Harrison Dening and Hibberd (2016), providing family-centered care can help clarify issues and provide structure to help unite families while still recognizing the patient’s individual values.  This helps reduce conflict and improve relationships within the family, which according to the biopsychosocial model, improves the health of the patient.

In the clinic in which I am completing my practicum, a young adult with a history of hypoplastic heart syndrome and asthma presented to the clinic with his mother.  My preceptor provided family-centered care by acknowledging the patient’s mother and allowing both the patient and his mother to provide input throughout the appointment.  In doing this, she maintained high quality relationships between all involved, which in turn, helps improve the health of the patient.

Strategy for the community

In regards to the community, a biopsychosocial strategy that can be used to improve the health of the community is ensuring there are spaces for community members to gather where health information and biopsychosocial support can be provided to them at the community level (Maylan, Carey, Blackburn, Hayes, & Robinson, 2013).  According to Maylan et al. (2013), such community gathering spaces are areas in which community members can gather to meet and enjoy each other’s company, provide a sense of belonging, and provide a place to go to be occupied.  The interaction amongst community members addresses both social and psychological components of health, which according to the biopsychosocial model, improves the biological health of people as well.  Healthcare providers can take advantage of these community gathering areas to provide health information about common health issues and needs within the community (Bath, Trask, McCrosky, & Lawson, 2014).

Conclusion

According to the biopsychosocial model, all three components of health- the biological, psychological, and social- contribute to the overall health of an individual.  As healthcare providers, it is important to consider all of these components when providing care to patients.  Many strategies can be used to improve the quality of health for patients, families, and the community.  Such strategies include patient-centered care, family-centered care, and providing gathering places in the community where community members can meet and receive health information.  Employing such strategies not only improves the health of individuals but the community in which the care is provided as well.

“We had a patient that was in the OR, and I’d gotten word that he had been … in the CCU beforehand, had a really poor heart….I was coming into work that evening and had received word that his family was sitting … in our waiting room. So I thought I’d go out and meet them.… They were like stressed to the max … [and] proceeded to tell me this whole story about what this poor man had gone through….[I]t was like they were just looking for this release valve and I gave it to them, and they seemed to appreciate that, and I think at that point we kind of clicked.”

—(Benner, Tanner, and Chesla, 2009, p. 142)

In this excerpt taken from your course text, the nurse describes her interactions with the patient’s family as a significant aspect of providing quality patient care. From her first interaction with both the family and the patient, she has an intuitive grasp of what is needed to calm the worries of the family as a system.

Consider examples such as these from your course text, practicum setting, and previous clinical experiences. Also reflect on your own experiences or observations of nurses engaged in patient care in which the larger impact on the family, or the community (the clinical staff or a broader group) was not as strongly considered or not acknowledged at all.

In this Discussion, you exchange views with your colleagues on the concept of quality patient care that is based on biopsychosocial knowledge.

To Prepare: NURS 6341 Week 6 Discussion: Applying Biopsychosocial Science to Improve Patient Quality of Care

• Review the article, “Biopsychosocial Model” and examples from the text reading that demonstrate its application. Reflect on your previous clinical experiences or those during your current practicum, and identify situations in which you used biopsychosocial knowledge when working with a patient.
• Reflect on your practicum experience through the lens of the biopsychosocial knowledge. How have you applied your advanced skill and knowledge when working with patients, families, or communities (clinical or others)? What specific biopsychosocial strategies have you used or could use to ensure or improve quality care in your practice?
• Conduct further research to locate evidence-based biopsychosocial strategies that improve quality care for patients, families, and communities.

By Day 3

Post an explanation of three biopsychosocial strategies* you use or may use to improve quality care for a patient, a family, and community. Explain how each strategy aids the individual/group by describing specific examples from your practicum and current literature.

* To meet the requirements of this Discussion, you must identify at least three strategies: one for the patient, one for the family, and one for the community.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses. NURS 6341 Week 6 Discussion: Applying Biopsychosocial Science to Improve Patient Quality of Care

By Day 6

Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one of the following approaches:

• Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence, or research.
• Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
• Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.

Also read:

• NURS 6341 Quality Indicators in the Specialty Areas
• NURS 6341 Discussion Analyzing Patient Risk