To Prepare
Review the Learning Resources covering barriers to implementation.
Explore the barriers associated with your implementation.
Consider how you might plan to overcome these barriers.
Post a response outlining the identified barriers to your implementation. Explain how you plan to deal with and overcome these barriers.
Use this project practice question:
For adult obesity patients (P), does the implementation of a staff education on obesity management (I) as compared to lack of staff education (C) improve Patients enrollment to weight loss program (O) over a period of 6 weeks(T)
Barriers and Solutions to Implementation
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliations
Barriers and Solutions to Implementation
Effective implementation of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) projects requires that students adequately understand potential barriers that might hinder success and be able to devise strategies to address them. The project practice question that will guide the implementation of the proposed DNP project is that “For adult obesity patients (P), does the implementation of a staff education on obesity management (I) as compared to lack of staff education (C) improve patient’s enrollment to weight loss program (O) over a period of 6 weeks (T)?” The specific barriers associated with the implementation of the proposed practice project include; possible resistance from staff and other stakeholders, lack of leadership support, cost or financial constraints, insufficient staff to prevent disruption of workflow during implementation, and time constraints. The purpose of this assignment is to discuss possible barriers to the DNP project implementation and to describe a plan to overcome them.
The student might face resistance from some members of staff and stakeholders during the DNP project implementation. It is important to note that it is members of staff who will receive the education program and that the student will work with other stakeholders during project implementation. Staff and stakeholder resistance is a common barrier to DNP project implementation (Sharplin et al., 2019; Tappen et al., 2017). To overcome this barrier, the student will inform staff and other stakeholders in advance about the benefits of the proposed project. The other potential barrier is a lack of leadership support. Since the DNP project aims to address a gap in clinical practice at the practicum site, the leadership might fail to support its implementation expressing fear that it might reveal their weaknesses. In order to address this barrier, the DNP student is planning to hold a brief meeting with the leadership and explain to them about the existing need and how implementing the proposed DNP project will address the clinical practice gap that currently exists in the organization (Kesten & El-Banna, 2021). The student will find it easy to implement the DNP project in an environment where there is adequate support from staff, leadership, and other stakeholders.
The student anticipates that the DNP project might disrupt workflow at the practicum site considering the fact that the facility might not have sufficient staff to continue with care when staff education is ongoing. Notably, project implementation will occur during working hours and it might be challenging to create a balance between patient care and staff education during implementation (Sharplin et al., 2019). To address this barrier, the DNP student will work with the nurse leader and nurse manager to organize staff training in shifts to prevent disruption of workflow. Time and financial constraints are likely to hinder the student from successfully implementing the DNP project at the practicum site. It is important to remember that the student is not an employee at the facility and that she will incur some financial costs to acquire the educational materials for project implementation. The student intends to apply for grants to help mitigate potential financial constraints (Sharplin et al., 2019). VanderKooi et al. (2018) reported that many DNP students usually request additional time to complete their projects, a factor that contributes to a delay in graduation. The DNP student will create a timetable to follow in order to mitigate possible barriers due to time constraints.
Certain factors might prevent the successful completion of DNP projects at the practicum site. DNP students should identify potential barriers in advance before beginning the implementation process. Utilizing appropriate strategies to mitigate potential barriers to project implementation can promote timely and successful completion.
Kesten, K., & El-Banna, M. M. (2021). Strategies to reenvision Doctor of Nursing Practice projects to meet organization goals during a pandemic. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 52(2), 61-63. doi: 10.3928/00220124-20210114-03. PMID: 33497453.
Sharplin, G., Adelson, P., Kennedy, K., Williams, N., Hewlett, R., Wood, J., Bonner, R., Dabars, E., & Eckert, M. (2019). Establishing and sustaining a culture of evidence-based practice: an evaluation of barriers and facilitators to implementing the best practice spotlight organization program in the Australian healthcare context. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 7(4), 142. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare7040142.
Tappen, R. M., Wolf, D. G., Rahemi, Z., Engstrom, G., Rojido, C., Shutes, J. M., & Ouslander, J. G. (2017). Barriers and facilitators to implementing a change initiative in long-term care using the INTERACT® Quality Improvement Program. The Health Care Manager, 36(3), 219–230. https://doi.org/10.1097/HCM.0000000000000168.
VanderKooi, M. E., Conrad, D. M., & Spoelstra, S. L. (2018). An enhanced actualized DNP model to improve DNP project placements, rigor, and completion. Nursing Education Perspectives, 39(5), 299–301. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000384