Evidence-Based Practice in Healthcare

Evidence-Based Practice in Healthcare

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Evidence-Based Practice in Healthcare

Evidence-based practices have been associated with improved patient outcomes in the clinical setting. In most cases, such clinical interventions usually reduce the rate of medication errors and provide long-term solutions. This essay evaluates how the consistent use of condoms can be a proper way of overcoming the cases of sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy among students due to unprotected sex.

Clinical Issue

The higher cases of unprotected sex among teenagers and young adults have been on a rise in high schools and colleges where they have got the freedom that they were seeking. Furthermore, “Health Promotion and Maintenance” is one of the NCLEX category, which has a subsection known as the “High-Risk Behavior” (NCSBN, 2017). Hence, the clinical issue highlighted is classified as one of the high-risk tendencies that are associated with younger people. The subcategory that the medical providers should identify the inappropriate activities that the patients are undertaking and raise awareness about the concerns associated with such issues. From that point, they can have programs that can transform the behaviors of the population and help them in avoiding such elements to overcome their infections.

Importance

A discussion of the high-risk behaviors can help the nurses in identifying how certain infections are caused. As a result, they can suggest the evidence-based practices that can address the problem and provide long-term solutions. In the process, the patients will remain healthy and avoid the risk factors that can increase their chances of contracting some serious infections. The high school and college students will also understand the danger associated with having multiple sexual partners. The knowledge can enhance their awareness of such situations and how they should avoid the issues that might undermine their health.

On the other hand, the failure to comply with such requirements can place the well-being of the patient population at risk. For instance, unprotected sex will result in higher cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and pregnancy among young adults (Ashenhurst, Wilhite, Harden, & Fromme, 2017). As a result, such negative effects can interfere with their education because the ladies might be forced to abandon school so that they can take care of their new-born babies. They can also spend more time in the medical institutions and funds as they are seeking treatment for the STIs that they have acquired.

The healthcare system will keep getting more cases of infections and ladies with unwanted pregnancy seeking ways of terminating their conditions. The nurses tend to receive a higher population of students from high school and college because they do not understand the adverse consequences of unprotected sex. Furthermore, the number of people with HIV/AIDS can increase thereby causing emotional trauma. As a result, the counseling department of the hospitals will also be forced to help more patients in dealing with such circumstances and empowering them on how to deal with the disease, which does not have a cure yet.

Patient Population

The younger people that contract STIs and get pregnant usually engage in unprotected sex thereby placing their lives at risk. For instance, the problem can occur due to substance abuse and their inability to make rational choices while they are interacting with their sexual partners. Even Dir et al. (2018) agree that alcohol use among younger people tends to result in higher cases of unprotected sex. These individuals usually place their lives at risk of contracting infections. Some of the young people are fond of engaging in sex with multiple partners thereby increasing their likelihood of experiencing the adverse health consequences (Brady, Gruber & Wolfson, 2016). Based on such factors, it is evident that this particular patient population has ignored some crucial insights that they possess in order to promote their well-being. The diversity also portrays how the minority are the most affected group due to numerous elements that influence them. For instance, poverty is one of the factors because the younger people are isolated and they do not have information about the prevention of STIs and the danger of such infections. Insufficient access to healthcare also means that they cannot learn about such issues and how to reduce the different high-risk behaviors. Cultural beliefs such as the stigma associated with sexuality can result in younger people being more secretive rather than revealing how they are dealing with their romantic relationships.

Proposed Solution

A school-based intervention that raises awareness about the consistent use of condom, abstinence and maintaining one sexual partner will be the proposed solution to address the problem. Implementing the solution can have a positive impact on the patients and give them an opportunity to keep themselves safe. For instance, Nesoff, Dunkle, and Lang (2016) portray how consistent condom use in relationships can reduce sexually transmitted infections. Apart from that, Ashenhurst et al. (2017) agree that maintaining one sexual partner and the consistent use of condoms can lower the probability of getting pregnant and get STIs. Furthermore, Twenge, Sherman, and Wells (2017) insist that abstinence can help young adults avoid adverse health complications. The scholarly evidence proves that the solution will be convenient in reducing the health condition and empowering the younger people to control their lives through informed choices.

However, implementing the plan might face certain ethical issues and there is a need to prioritize particular considerations. For instance, a significant part of the population will consist of teenagers, and the parents should provide informed consents. In some families, parents tend to associate stigma with sexual behaviors. Hence, some parents might misinterpret the program as a platform that encourages children to engage in sex. Educating such parents can also be a proper ethical approach to undertake.

Goals

The goal will focus on eliminating the rate of STIs among the younger people that are still in school. The medical center had received higher cases of infections among teenagers and young adults. As a health institution, the nurses will focus on educating students in multiple high schools and colleges within the locality. From that point, they will implement their goals while emphasizing the measures of reducing the rate of infections.

The short-term goal will aim at encouraging consistent condom use among students aged 14-24 to lower the rate of sexual infections and unwanted pregnancy by 20% during a period of one year. The goal will be measured by assessing the number of sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy that will be reported in the hospital. From the medical documentation, they can assess whether they have reduced the adverse consequences within that age group.

The long-term will focus on ensuring that the teenagers abstain from sexual activities while the younger adults maintain one partner rather than the high-risk behaviors that they were undertaking previously. Interviews will provide a chance to measure the goals and the participants will reveal whether they have rejected the idea of multiple sexual partners. Furthermore, the medical reports will also depict a lower rate of STIs and pregnancies among the population to prove the consistent use of condoms is the right initiative.

Barriers

The process of implementing the goals might have some serious consequences, which will undermine its credibility. For instance, some students might complain about being shy to approach the shop or chemist attendants to purchase condoms. As a result, some of them might lack sufficient confidence to deal with such concerns. In response to the barrier, the hospital will donate multiple vending machines for condoms that can provide the products quite easily. Hence, the students will no longer need to purchase condoms because they will be freely available at their educational institutions.

Furthermore, another barrier can reveal how it is a common belief that men are the ones that should carry condoms. At times, a couple might have unprotected sex when the male partner did not have one. In response, the nurses will educate the female students on how to carry condoms in their purses and learn how to persuade their partners. The fact that they can get pregnant will push the female students to embrace the initiative thereby overcoming such a barrier and encouraging the use of condoms.

Benefits

The evidence-based practice will lower the rate STIs and unwanted pregnancies that were common among the population. Brady et al. (2016) also agree that maintaining one sexual partner and consistent condom use can have more positive consequences on a couple. As a result, female teenagers will not have to seek abortion as a way of dealing with their pregnancy.

On the other hand, the same initiative will help the nurses achieve patient outcomes by implementing appropriate preventive measures. Hence, they will reduce more medical reports that involve the high-risk behaviors that increase the chances of contracting STIs. A reduction of such cases can also give the nurses an opportunity to address other serious conditions and reduce their burden.

Participants and Interdisciplinary Approach

The team will consist of the nurses, patients, parents, and religious leaders as the participants. Nurses have the competence to deal with the patients, and the parents can empower their kids more effectively while the religious leaders have the role of helping the students embrace the right social values. Furthermore, the social workers and therapeutic counselors are the professionals from other disciplines that will be involved in the process of implementing the plan. Thompson et al. (2017) reveal that counselors can approach individuals, identify the risk factors and guide them on the right initiative to undertake. Hence, they can be helpful in empowering the students on how to use condoms effectively and the dangers that they might face by ignoring such measures. Social work can also play an instrumental role in showing the significant impact of condom use in the prevention of HIV/AIDS (Sharma, Small, Mengo, & Ude, 2017). Social workers are always expected to prioritize public health and raising awareness about such concerns can be quite critical in the long-term.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the analysis has shown that teenagers and young adults should avoid unprotected sex due to the adverse health complications that they might face. Hence, there was a need for the nurses to engage in health promotion to assist the students to overcome their circumstances. Addressing such a clinical problem will provide preventive measures that younger people can use to avoid STIs and unwanted pregnancy. Some of them do not understand such issues and the lessons can be influential.

References

Ashenhurst, J. R., Wilhite, E. R., Harden, K. P., & Fromme, K. (2017). Number of sexual partners and relationship status are associated with unprotected sex across emerging adulthood. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46(2), 419-432.

Brady, S. S., Gruber, S. K., & Wolfson, J. A. (2016). Positive and negative aspects of relationship quality and unprotected sex among young women. Sex Education, 16(6), 586-601.

Dir, A. L., Gilmore, A. K., Moreland, A. D., Davidson, T. M., Borkman, A. L., Rheingold, A. A., & Danielson, C. K. (2018). What's the harm? Alcohol and marijuana use and perceived risks of unprotected sex among adolescents and young adults. Addictive Behaviors, 76, 281-284.

National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). (2017). Detailed test plan for the national council licensure examination for registered nurses. Retrieved from https://www.ncsbn.org/2016_RN_Test_Plan_Candidate.pdf

Nesoff, E. D., Dunkle, K., & Lang, D. (2016). The impact of condom use negotiation self-efficacy and partnership patterns on consistent condom use among college-educated women. Health Education & Behavior, 43(1), 61-67.

Sharma, B. B., Small, E., Mengo, C., & Ude, P. (2017). Women’s autonomy and attitudes toward condom use: A Multi-country analysis. Social Work in Public Health, 32(4), 238-253.

Thompson Jr, R. G., Elliott, J. C., Hu, M. C., Aivadyan, C., Aharonovich, E., & Hasin, D. S. (2017). Short-term effects of a brief intervention to reduce alcohol use and sexual risk among homeless young adults: results from a randomized controlled trial. Addiction Research & Theory, 25(1), 24-31.

Twenge, J. M., Sherman, R. A., & Wells, B. E. (2017). Sexual inactivity during young adulthood is more common among US Millennials and iGen: Age, period, and cohort effects on having no sexual partners after age 18. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46(2), 433-440.