Bicycle Helmet Safety - Essay Example

Clinical Practice Summary-Bicycle Helmet Safety Introduction Clinical practice guidelines make up a crucial part of the fundamental efforts aimed at improving healthcare in the U.S. Guidelines normally take into account various clinical questions relevant to individuals’ health. These queries include identifying risk aspects for certain conditions; diagnosis criteria for health conditions; patients’ prognosis; benefits and disadvantages of various treatment options; resources necessary for diagnosis and treatment options, and experiences of patients following certain healthcare interventions. These guidelines also form a basis for evidence based medical practice. In the U.S., the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), through the National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC) provides access to requisite information on clinical practice guidelines. The clinical practice guideline of interest in this case is the routine preventive service for children and adolescents (ages 2-21) guideline, which is deemed relevant to the subject matter of bicycle helmet safety. Scope and purpose of the clinical practice guideline The routine preventive service for children and adolescents (ages 2-21) guideline, explicitly stipulates that the target populace comprises of children and youths between the age of 2 and 21. One of the primary objectives of this guideline is to attain significant and quantifiable improvements in the course of managing preventive services for the targeted population. The other primary aim of this guideline is to design brief yet comprehensive strategies that focus on management elements of conventional preventive services. Some of the practices and interventions considered under this guideline include: evaluation of risk factors, age-convenient counseling and education on matters such as injury prevention, poison avoidance, as well as, bicycle and motor-vehicle safety. The intended users of this guideline include physicians, health planners, assistant physicians, and advanced practice nurses. Stakeholder involvement The routine preventive service for children and adolescents (ages 2-21) guideline was developed by the Michigan Quality Improvement Consortium (MQIC). The latter is a committee that comprises of a wide array of stakeholders within the healthcare sector. Some of the partisans to the clinical practice guideline development included: care physicians, researchers, heath plan administrators, specialty societies, and experts in healthcare quality improvement. Although a large number of healthcare experts were represented in formulation of the guideline, additional professional input from proficient psychologists would have enhanced the quality of the guideline. This is because psychologists would have provided insight into the cognitive and behavioral tendencies of the target populace. A sample of the target population was consulted in the course of formulating and developing the guideline. Feedback obtained from participating specialty societies and respective organizations was used to make necessary adjustments to the final version of the guideline. Conflict of interest in the guideline development process was largely avoided by ensuring that partisans adhered to the standard disclosure requirements governing MQIC member (NGC, 2015). Rigor of Development Evidence used in developing the routine preventive service for children and adolescents (ages 2-21) guideline was collected from electronic databases. The search primarily focused on collection of extant protocols and current literary information on the guideline theme. Proof on the guideline topic was restricted to the time period between 2011 and 2013, in order to ensure collection of recent data. In an attempt to enhance the credibility of the evidence collection process, the search focused on computer databases deemed reliable including: the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices (ACIP). The assembled evidence was then analyzed, in order to test for quality and strength. Subsequently, each category of evidence was weighted according to a designated rating scheme. There were four principal levels of evidence gathered through distinctive research approaches including: randomized controlled trials, non-randomized controlled trials, observational studies, and collection of opinions from an expert panel (NGC, 2015). In this case, experts depended primarily on the randomized controlled trials owing to their higher accuracy and reduced probability of researchers’ bias. Nevertheless, observation studies, which constitute qualitative research, were also integrated in the process. Observation sought to establish the possible outcomes within a general context, before allowing experts to reach a consensus on the validity of the evidence. Several drafts of the guideline were developed before the committee could agree on a final copy, thus allowing for rigorous evidence review. Further validation of the guideline entailed internal and external peer review. These additional expert analyses allowed the committee to take potential benefits and harms of the guideline into account, while assessing its applicability presently and in the future. Recommendations Through a rigorous development process, the routine preventive service for children and adolescents (ages 2-21) guideline has significantly contributed to standardization of nursing practices aimed at managing preventive services for children and youths. For instance, the guideline can enhance achievement of consistent provision of evidence-based preventive services and improved health outcomes. The guideline also augments the operation setting for health practitioners by reducing some of the administrative barriers instituted by adherence to varying health guidelines. In contextualizing the subject matter, some major recommendations of the guideline should include provisions on bicycle helmet safety annual education and counseling for children of between 2 to 21 years. These include specific guidelines on the use of helmets and other protective gear when riding a bicycle, skating or skate boating. In addition, the education and counseling programs should be designed to cater for specific age groups, such as 2-6 years, 7-2 years, and 13 to 21 years age brackets (NGC, 2015). The major roles of nurses in regard to the subject guideline would entail assessing the risk factors in the target population and getting involved in the education and counseling sessions. Assessment tools and accident safety gadgets for demonstrations would be necessary to bolster the success of the guideline. Implementation The major CPG recommendation for practice would be initiation of a mandatory bicycle cycling counseling and education program. In this program, all patients between 2 and 21 years of age, who get involved in cycling related accidents and seek treatment in major hospitals, would be automatically recruited. Further, I would select the PDSA model for the implementation process. The evidence based practice (EBP) model entails plan, do, study, and act phases. ‘Plan’ is the first phase of the model, where the objectives of the implementation process are defined. Outcomes of the program are also predicted in the planning phase, paving way for assessment of potential barriers to successful execution of the education and counseling program. The ‘do’ stage would be the second phase of the model, aimed at establishing what happens after implementation of the guideline recommendations. The ‘study’ phase would seek to analyze the outcomes of the program and compare them to the predicted results, effectively summarizing the achievements or failures of the guideline provisions. Lastly, the ‘act’ phase of the model would allow for modification of the guideline recommendations if considered necessary. Possible costs of following the recommendations would principally comprise of expenses likely to be incurred in integration of recommendations into healthcare organizations. Reference National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC). (2015). Routine Preventive Services for Children and adolescents (ages 2-21). Retrieved from http://www.guideline.gov/content.aspx?id=46652&search=bicycle+helmet Read More