Develop a population health improvement plan, based on your evaluation of the best available demographic, environmental, and epidemiological data, that focuses on your diagnosis of a widespread population health issue.

Part of effectively engaging in evidence-based practice is the ability to synthesize raw health data with research studies and other relevant information in the literature. This will enable you to develop sound interventions, initiatives, and outcomes to address health concerns that you find in data during the course of your practice.

In this assessment, you have an opportunity to evaluate community demographic, environmental, and epidemiological data to diagnose a widespread population health issue, which will be the focus of a health improvement plan that you develop.

Assessment Instructions

Preparation

Your organization is undertaking a population health improvement initiative focused on one of the pervasive and chronic health concerns in the local community. Examples of health improvement initiatives include nationwide concerns, such as type 2 diabetes, HIV, obesity, and Zika. However, your organization has asked you to determine which widespread health concern should be addressed in a population health improvement plan for the community in which you practice and has entrusted you with gathering and evaluating the relevant data.

Requirements

Note: The requirements outlined below correspond to the grading criteria in the scoring guide, so be sure to address each point. In addition, you may want to review the performance level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed.

Data Evaluation

Evaluate community demographic, epidemiological, and environmental data.

• Identify the relevant data.
• Describe the major community health concerns suggested by the data.
• Explain how environmental factors affect the health of community residents.

Health Improvement Plan

Develop an ethical health improvement plan that effectively addresses the population health concern that you identified in your evaluation of the relevant data.

• Base your plan on the best available evidence from a minimum of 3–5 current scholarly or professional sources.
  • Apply correct APA formatting to all in-text citations and references.
  • Attach a reference list to your plan.
• Ensure that your plan meets the cultural and environmental needs of your community and will likely lead to some improvement in the community’s health related to this concern.
  • Consider the environmental realities and challenges that exist in the community.
  • Address potential barriers or misunderstandings related to the various cultures prevalent in the community.
• Justify the value and relevance of the evidence you used as the basis of your plan.
  • Explain why the evidence is valuable and relevant to the community health concern you are addressing.
  • Explain why each piece of evidence is appropriate and informs the goal of improving the health of the community.
• Propose relevant and measurable criteria for evaluating the outcomes of your plan.
  • Explain why your proposed criteria are appropriate and useful measures of success.
• Explain how you will communicate with colleagues and members of the community, in an ethical, culturally sensitive, and inclusive way, with regard to the development and implementation of your plan.
  • Develop a clear communications strategy mindful of the cultural and ethical expectations of colleagues and community members regarding data privacy.
  • Ensure that your strategy enables you to make complex medical terms and concepts understandable to members of the community, regardless of language, disabilities, or level of education.

  Resources

  Suggested Resources

  The resources provided here are optional. You may use other resources of your choice to prepare for this assessment; however, you will need to ensure that they are appropriate, credible, and valid. The MSN-FP6011 – Evidence-Based Practice for Patient-Centered Care and Population Health Library Guide can help direct your research, and the Supplemental Resources and Research Resources, both linked from the left navigation menu in your courseroom, provide additional resources to help support you.