Medical Errors
- The length of the final paper should be approximately 8–10 pages, double-spaced in MS Word. ****See attachment**
- TOPIC: Describe the problem of medical errors in the U.S. delivery system. Evaluate the effectiveness of selected programs aimed at reducing medical errors in the U.S. healthcare system; discuss one or more of the most effective measures identified to date and make recommendations for additional action.
The paper must include the following sections:
Category | Points | Description |
---|---|---|
BACKGROUND | 10 | Describe the problem, organization, or situation you selected; identify the specific issues of interest or controversy; and present background/facts of the problem, organization, or situation that will enable the reader to clearly understand the issue. |
DEFINE THE PROBLEM | 10 | Identify and clearly state the problem, the management issue, in which an element of the identified problem or situation is not meeting expectations. Remember that what appears to be the problem may actually be just a symptom of a bigger problem – dig deep to be sure you’ve identified the real problems. If there appears to be more than one problem/issue, decide if they are separate or related issues. State the problem in the form of a question. For example, if a work group is not performing effectively, an effective problem statement might be “How can the staff shortage improve?” rather than simply “Short Staff problems.” |
LITERATURE REVIEW | 35 | Present what you discovered in your search of the literature. Review issues, theories, concepts, and studies discussed in class and in our textbook, and review what other writers/researchers have to say about the subject of your analysis. Discuss the concepts, ideas, or insights that are most valuable in helping you make sense of your project. What theories can you use? What writers say something of value? Why is it of value? Which models are the least helpful, and why? What theories or concepts will you challenge or criticize because your findings are different? In short, demonstrate an understanding of the literature and apply it sensibly to the problem. This is not a course in applied commonsense; however, such practical intelligence is important, especially in the application stage. A literature review is like playing a video game in which you are in a chamber with many doors. As you open each door, you uncover clues to help you progress to the next level. Similarly, in a literature review, your objective is to open the doors that can point the way to solving your business problem. Begin your literature review with a broad look at your field of interest, then narrow your focus until you zero in on the essential issues of concern. NOTE: A literature review is a required element of this assignment. A good rule of thumb is to review at least 10 resources, beyond the textbook and class readings, to ensure the effectiveness of your research. |
PROBLEM ANALYSIS | 30 | This section should provide a detailed analysis of the causes of the problem(s) or issue(s) you identified in Section II. A major objective is to clearly illustrate how you are using the healthcare course concepts (as well as what your learned from your literature review) to better understand the causes of the problem(s) or issue(s). Show that you are applying course material! (Note: Use subheadings to identify each factor you address.) |
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS | 30 | Explore three solutions that could be appropriate ways to solve the identified problem/issue. Be sure these solutions are logical based on your analysis and that they each would effectively treat the problem, not the symptoms. Also, discuss the anticipated outcomes (both positive and negative) of implementing each of the possible solutions you identified. |
SOLUTION AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION | 35 | Outline your recommended solution to the problem/issue, one of the alternatives explored in Section V, or a combination of those alternatives. State your solution clearly and specifically. Describe exactly what should be done and how it should be done, including by whom, with whom, and in what sequence. Here are some points to keep in mind as you write this section:
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JUSTIFICATION | 25 | Justify why your recommended solution and its implementation will solve the identified problem/issue in the organization/unit you selected. An important element of this section is to show very clearly how you applied course concepts to arrive at a workable solution and a successful implementation. Apply appropriate course material; support your conclusions with appropriately referenced facts, quotes, and readings; and be sure your justification addresses identified pros and cons. |
REFERENCES | 25 | All citations in the paper must appear in the reference list, and all references must be cited in the text of the paper. Choose references judiciously and cite them accurately. Citations of an author’s work in the text documents your work, briefly identifies the source for readers, and enables readers to locate the source of information in the alphabetical reference list at the end of the paper. To use the ideas or words of another without crediting the source is plagiarism.Plagiarism, in its purest form, involves copying of entire passages either verbatim or nearly verbatim, with no direct acknowledgment of the source. The most common (and unconscious) form of plagiarism is when a direct quotation is simply paraphrased. Paraphrasing does not relieve you of the obligation to provide proper identification of source data. The best way to avoid plagiarism is to make sure all quotes, ideas, or conclusions not your own are given proper acknowledgment in your text. |