1-  I can totally see where there would be tension between these two, especially in today’s world.  I am no expert on religion or science for that matter, but I do feel like some of the tension is unnecessary.  I feel that the two can work to benefit our patients by balancing them with the needs of the patient.  Let’s take my kids for instance, if they were sick with some known treatable disease there would be no other option in my mind to treat them with science and medicine that has been proven to work.  I wouldn’t only pray for them to get better and not do anything about it, but I would pray for them and do whatever was necessary to help my family deal with the stress and worry of a child being sick.  Here we have used them both to our benefit and they each serve a different purpose and effectiveness.  Thanks again for your post! 

 
 

2-My perception of the tension between science and religion is founded at first glance and then not when looked at more closely.  Science and religion can coincide in health care if respected for their own strengths and limitations.  I feel that a healthy balance of both can benefit our patients providing different needs when they’re needed.  I have seen with my own eyes CRP markers drop in an infant receiving antibiotic treatment and I have also seen an infant that wasn’t supposed to live by scientific probability actually make it and thrive with prayer being the only obvious intervention.  So, trying to single out one over the other as more effective than the other seems less beneficial than trying to work them both in when the patient requires such help.

I feel that science is good for some of the more usual cases and things we feel we can help with its information, and I also feel that we can use religion to help a patient with their mental aspects of  healing.  We can quantify an improvement in a patient through lab levels and such, but it’s hard to do the same with religion and how a patient uses that tool as comfort or however they use it in their lives.  “Some observational studies suggest that people who have regular spiritual practices tend to live longer. Another study points to a possible mechanism: interleukin (IL)-6. Increased levels of IL-6 are associated with an increased incidence of disease. A research study involving 1700 older adults showed that those who attended church were half as likely to have elevated levels of IL-6. The authors hypothesized that religious commitment may improve stress control by offering better coping mechanisms, richer social support, and the strength of personal values and worldview” (NCBI, 2001).  In this example we see the benefits were surveyed to be founded, but the exact workings aren’t exactly known.  The great thing about science is that usually we have some tangible results that are repeatable and there’s safety to be found in that.  The great thing about religion is that we can have faith in whatever we believe in and that’s all that’s needed.  It’s our faith and belief that drives the comfort in religion.

I understand how people will want one to win over the other and I feel that it depends on the person and how they view it.  I feel that there doesn’t need to be this tension because they both can serve separately but benefit the patient when both are utilized.  If you have multiple tools in the box, why not use a variety of them and pick whichever is most appropriate for the task at hand?  Each tool has their own specialty and doesn’t mean one has to be better than the other or tension between the two, they just need to work for the purpose they’re intended. 

Reference

Puchalski, C. 2001.  The role of spirituality in health care.  Retrieved from:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1305900/

 

 
 

3-I was able to develop a greater understanding of the tension between science and religion based on the article, the role of spirituality in health care and the lecture notes this week. I have always believed in God and often pray in silence for my patients or families in the Peds ED. Many times, it will be for something as small as obtaining an IV on a patient that has been deemed a “hard stick.” However, what I refrain from doing is addressing my patients’ spiritual beliefs throughout their stay. My thoughts include “what if they don’t believe?”, “will they be offended?”  Today there is often tension in any conversation. Politics, healthcare, beliefs in God, what to post on your social media account, etc.. Everyone has an opinion but verbalizing that opinion can cause tension with your closest family member. Specific to healthcare in the West, scientism and relativism has exacerbated the perceived tension between scientism and religion (“Worldview Foundations of Spirituality and Ethics”, 2018) . If we base all healthcare beliefs off scientism and relativism, there is no room for hope or belief that God (or the patient’s higher power) has any room for preforming a miracle or comforting the patient in their time of need. As Puchalski (2001) said, “Healing can be experienced as acceptance and peace with one’s life. This healing, I believe is at its core spiritual.” Patients need to understand the science and reality behind any diagnosis, whether acute or chronic. However, they need the opportunity to heal as a whole person which includes their spirituality. “It is critical that we as physicians and health care providers listen to all aspects of our patients’ lives that can affect their decision making and their coping skills” (Puchalski, 2001).  

I believe that it is important to have a balance between science and religion without the tension. One were our patients can express their spirituality and we can be honest with our professional knowledge and offer our presence and compassion at the same time.  

Reference:  

Puchalski C. M. (2001). The role of spirituality in health care. Proceedings (Baylor University. Medical Center) , 14 (4), 352-7.  

Worldview Foundations of Spirituality and Ethics. (2018). Retrieved from https://lc-ugrad3.gcu.edu/learningPlatform/user/users.html?operation=loggedIn#/learningPlatform/loudBooks/loudbooks.html?viewPage=current&operation=innerPage&currentTopicname=Worldview Foundations of Spirituality and Ethics&topicMaterialId =a52bac38-a38a-4edc-8747-efe8f3c85261&contentId=6775b54b-52b8-4bb1-b4de-a5bd34e39a90&

Create a 15-20-slide PowerPoint presentation for Mental Health Early Identification and Intervention in the Adolescent Population. Include speaker notes and citations for each slide, and   create a slide at the end for References.

Address the following:

1. Describe the above subject or topic and associated population your     group has selected. Discuss how this topic adversely affects the     population. How does health disparity affect this population?
2. Explain evidence-based approaches that can optimize health for     this population. How do these approaches minimize health disparity     among affected populations?
3. Outline a proposal for health     education that can be used in a family-centered health promotion to     address the issue for the target population. Ensure your proposal is     based on evidence-based practice.
4. Present a general profile     of at least one health-related organization for the selected focus     topic. Present two resources, national or local, for the proposed     education plan that can be utilized by the provider or the   patient.
5. Identify interdisciplinary health professionals     important to include in the health promotion. What is their role?     Why is their involvement significant?

Cite at least five scholarly sources to complete   this assignment. Sources should be published within the last 5 years   and appropriate for the assignment criteria and public health content.

In a paper of 500-1,000 words, describe the relationship between health care cost and quality. Address the following:

1.     Select one public agency and one private agency and differentiate their roles and major activities in addressing cost and quality in health care. See Topic 4 readings for sources regarding health care agencies.

2.     Analyze current and projected initiatives to improve quality while simultaneously controlling costs. Describe any unintended consequences.

3.     Synthesize implications for staff nurses and advanced practice nurses, including evidence-based practice, relative to cost and quality.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

Please, remember to include Introduction, Conclusion with references less than 5 years old and reference page

Comment1

Evaluating the outcome of an evidence-based practice project is the final step of the process.  I would probably choose one or two different methods of evaluation-starting with a survey for staff and patients.  Surveys are easy and usually have a good number of responses.  I would compare the answers to the survey done prior to the implementation of the EBP project.  Another method would be to collect data involving safety issues prior to and since the project improvements.  

A survey for nurses regarding bullying would include questions to see if they are more comfortable at work with the new policy changes in place and if they would make a report if they had a bullying experience.  The main objective in reducing bullying in the nursing workforce is to attempt to reduce the number of nurses leaving and increase nurse retention.  Therefore, it would be important to make sure the message has been understood and policies enforced.  Posting results to employees communicates transparency in the process.

Comment2

Evaluation for my EBP could be done through data collection. Data collection done through monitoring of rate of adherence to treatment by these patient population. Monitoring means “regularly collecting information on your project that will help you answer basic questions about your work”. (Evaluating your Project, 2015). Data collection on persistence with therapy will be one major way of evaluating my project effectiveness. Varying types of data would need to be collected to prove persistence to treatment such as,  (1) data on refill rate or medication possession rate (MPR), because as patients take their medications, they should be refilling their prescriptions. (2) data collection on increasing or decreasing reports of adverse reactions to medications for treatment. If reports of adverse reactions resulting from improper intake of these medication are on the decrease that means patients are receiving the proper education and counselling and are adhering to them (3) Patient satisfaction with treatment and monitoring trends in treatment outcomes such as decreasing rate of fracture and increase bone mineral density in patients taking these oral medications for treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis, since these medications are found to be effective in reversing bone loss, maintain bone density and prevent fracture. (Osteoporosis Treatment Medications can Help, 2017).

 Write a 4–6 page impact report to senior leadership that identifies a nursing-related challenge, analyzes how it affects the organization from a nursing perspective, and details the new position.

Each organization has a unique structure that impacts the behavior of the organization. In health care organizations, this impact is on the ability of the organization to deliver quality patient care. Nursing is an essential component of any health care organization, and nursing leaders must understand the role of nursing and nursing leadership within the total organization. Understanding basic organizational structure, mission, vision, philosophy, and values will better prepare nurse leaders to improve quality and patient outcomes.

 

Use the Suggested Resources for this assessment to study systems theory, SWOT analysis, and shared governance teams, as background for an Impact Report to Senior Leadership. The report includes a SWOT analysis. The SWOT Analysis Template is linked in attachment

• Study a facility in your area (Central Florida) and examine its Web site and any available public documents to aid you in completing this assessment. You may wish to examine an organization where you work, where you have worked in the past, or where you did your clinical work.
• Do not name the organization in your report; instead, identify the type of facility and location. Example: A rehabilitation center in a midsize Midwestern city.

Use the following scenario as the basis for your report:

Scenario
The unit-based Shared Governance Council of the organization where you work has identified a major nursing-related challenge (patient/staff safety, confidentiality, management/staff conflict, poor patient satisfaction survey scores, or nursing staff shortages) within your health care organization.
In an unusual move, your system administrator is considering creating a new nurse leadership position that would have the responsibility and authority to address this specific issue. As a member of the shared governance council’s subcommittee, you have been asked to write the committee’s final report.

Deliverable: Impact Report to Senior Leadership

Write a 4–6 page impact report to senior leadership that identifies the challenge, analyzes how it affects the organization from a nursing perspective, and details the new position.

Example paper of expectations attached to use as example. ******

• Use systems thinking and leadership theory as tools to approach this problem.

**Construct the report with the following headings:**

The Nursing Challenge:

• Identify the nursing challenge and its impact from a nursing perspective. Choose from:
  • Patient/staff safety, confidentiality, management/staff conflict, poor patient-satisfaction survey scores, or nursing staff shortages.

The System/Organization:

• Explain how the nursing challenge creates a gap or conflict between the organization’s statements and practice.
  • Identify the organization type—that is, specialty hospital, teaching hospital, major health care system, et cetera, and summarize the organizational structure, its mission, vision, and philosophy statements.
  • Use systems theory and systems thinking to explain the gap or conflict.

SWOT Analysis:

Use the SWOT Analysis Template linked in Required Resources and include the SWOT analysis table in your paper. *Table is in attachment*

• Identify organizational factors that impact the situation using a SWOT analysis.
  • For example, a budget cut may cause short staffing, which relates directly to the problem.
• What factors within the system may facilitate a solution for this problem?

The Position:

• Assess how the new nurse leader position will have power and influence and impact patient outcomes.
• How will this position affect change within the organization?
• Identify key leadership skills, knowledge, or abilities required for the position.

Additional Requirements

• Written communication: Written communication should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
• APA formatting: Resources and in-text citations should be formatted according to current APA style and formatting.
• Length: The report should be 4–6 pages in content length. Include a separate title page and a separate reference page.
• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point, double-spaced.
• Number of resources: Use a minimum of three peer-reviewed resources.