For patients at risk of Covid-19 in the acute care setting, does the implementation of a new preceptorship training program for improving management and prevention of the pandemic help decrease the risk of Covid spread and can impact better patient care outcomes?
PICOT Problem and Evidence-based Solution
The purpose of this paper is to develop a picot question related to the importance of the implementation of a preceptorship program to guide new nurses in the clinical setting that addresses nurse-to-nurse communication and cooperation while using medical instruments and procedures. A variety of sources provide evidence that adequate preceptorship training in the acute care setting for the nurses increases the self-care for the healthcare providers, especially nurses as well as patient care (Çamveren et al, 2022). In various specific studies during the times of Covid-19 since it has stricken the globe conducted in different regions that are heavily affected by the pandemic, conducting preceptorship programs is associated with better Covid prevention and management. It is evident that the nurses who receive appropriate education and training tackling patients suffering from acute illnesses due to the Covid pandemic have higher levels of interpersonal and professional skills. Hence, nurse education and training through professional preceptors form one of the evidence-based practices to improve the quality of Covid management and prevention and also self-care for outpatients suffering from mild symptoms of Covid (Kelly, 2022).
Covid-related Nursing Interventions
The nursing interventions related to Covid-19 within the hospital setting curated in the preceptorship training program are environmental management, vital signs monitoring, SOPs management, medication administration, respiratory management, and also effective communication and relaxing techniques for reducing anxiety that may be caused because of isolation (Robertson et al, 2021). It is an unavoidable fact that this disease has been emotionally and physically draining for the people suffering from it.
Covid-related Patient Care
Although vaccination is introduced to treat the severity of this Covid disease but still no definitive vaccination or treatment is made for decreasing its spread. The only proven form through which Covid can be managed and prevented is supportive care as well as isolation. In this regard, nurses in the acute care setting play a pivotal role in the management and prevention of this disease (Çamveren et al, 2022). The evidence-based solution of implementing a preceptorship training program for the new nurses within the hospital setting provides the effective role of nurses in the care and management of patients with mild-to-severe symptoms.
Health Care Agency Involved in Covid Management and Prevention
Covid 19 is the current and significant issue the healthcare system around the world is tackling with. In the nursing practice of the US healthcare setting, the National Institute of Health provides preventive care and important services that include screening tests, vaccines, immunization, and wellness checks. The Institute extends its services by developing training programs to provide strict nursing practice and standardized regulations to reduce infections and enhance better clinical outcomes.
Covid and Nursing Practice
In today’s Covid-stricken healthcare settings, nurses at the hospitals have very small checklists to help them capture each patient’s history. In addition, due to its spread risk as Covid transmits through droplets and contact, nurses cannot facilitate nurse-to-nurse handoff. In the specific clinical setting, better patient recovery and outcomes depend on effective communication which nurses cannot practice due to strict SOPs of Covid-19 therefore hands-off communication is better to be practiced in the healthcare setting (Robertson, 2021).
References
Kelly, D. E. (2022). Initiation of a New Nurse Preceptor Program in the Era of COVID-19. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 53(5), 221-224.
Robertson, B., McDermott, C., Star, J., & Clevenger, C. K. (2021). The academic-practice partnership: Educating future nurses. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 45(4), E1-E11.
Çamveren, H., Kocaman, G., & Vatan, F. (2022). The Effects of a Preceptorship Program on Newcomer Nurses’ Turnover Intention, Commitment and Job Satisfaction: A Quasi-Experimental Study. Nurse Education in Practice, 103358.
