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1. Assignment: Preparedness in Acute Health Care
Assignment: Preparedness in Acute Health Care ON Assignment: Preparedness in Acute
Health CareThis Conclusion section should be about 2-3 pages and content should be
separated with APA first and second level headings. Remember to submit your work
following the file naming convention FirstInitial.LastName_M01.docx. For example,
J.Smith_M01.docx. Remember that it is not necessary to manually type in the file extension;
it will automatically append.Start by reading and following these instructions:1. Quickly
skim the questions or assignment below and the assignment rubric to help you focus.2.
Read the required chapter(s) of the textbook and any additional recommended resources.
Some answers may require you to do additional research on the Internet or in other
reference sources. Choose your sources carefully.3. Consider the discussions and any
insights gained from it.4. Create your Assignment submission and be sure to cite your
sources, use APA style as required, check your spelling.Assignment:Submit a formal paper
describing the Capstone projectYour Formal Capstone Project submission must be
professionally prepared and free of typographical, spelling and grammatical errors. The
formatting protocol of the American Psychological Association is the approved format for
Aspen University. For detailed guidance refer to the websites and resources referenced in
the ProQuest Library.The specific length of the formal document may vary somewhat
depending upon the topic selected, the use of tables, matrices, graphs, or other visual
supplements. The following sections should be included:Title pageAbstractIntroduction
(Background, Significance, Justification)PurposeLiterature reviewMethod (as appropriate
for your project— may include research design, procedures, evaluation methods,
etc.)Discussion of findingsRecommendationsConclusionReferencesAppendices as
appropriate.The Formal Capstone Project submission should be prepared using the
Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint as appropriate), appropriately
paginated using a twelve-point standard style font (Times New Roman) and written using
current APA
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Attachment PreviewRUNNING HEAD: CHAPTER 4 1 Capstone Chapter 4 Mariann England
Aspen University Nursing Capstone Dr. Julie Kolde July 20, 2020 CHAPTER 4 2 Chapter 4:
Results and Recommendations Health care Workforce Response Twenty-three hospitals
were involved in the research project and gave their responses to the questionnaire
provided with a response rate of 55%. This involved private and public hospitals, and the

2. hospital size ranged from 40 to 800 hospital beds for inpatient. The hospital beds’ median
for the public hospitals being 352 and private hospitals at 101 (median= 260). An
equivalent of 180 to 5000 health care professionals and a median of 2370 were identified in
both public and private hospitals, while the hospital beds stand at a median of 44 beds in
both emergency department and intensive care units. The percentage of the emergency
department participants was 41%, respondents from infection control were 23 %, and
finally, the percentage of Acute Services and nursing was 14%. Group Frequency Count
Control of infections 80% 18 Occupational Health & safety 42% 8 Medical and medical staff
37% 8 Emergency management committee 30% 7 Nursing Director and Staff 25% 6
Emergency Department 25% 6 Quality and Risk 15% 4 ICU 6% 2 Table 1: frequency of
certain hospital departments in preparing pandemic preparedness and emergency plans
Medical staff and hospital executives were cited as the staff members commonly involved in
planning the occupational health and safety departments, emergency department, and
CHAPTER 4 3 intensive care units in the infectious departments. The hospitals had a higher
planning and preparedness rate in some private hospitals and public hospitals, while some
required additional improvement. Therefore, in the case of a pandemic, the respondents
indicated that the hospitals would handle the pandemic at a good point, with the variable
being the availability of workforce and how severe the pandemic is likely to be. The
respondents reported the hospital needs in the acute health care setting would not be met
adequately due to the high rate of healthcare professional absenteeism. The survey also
indicated that some of the hospitals had achieved the overall guidelines on hygiene
standards and precautions training on managing the pandemic. However, the hospitals
needed to have an additional provision of personal protective equipment to protect
themselves from the infections. Assignment: Preparedness in Acute Health CareWhen it
comes to the health care workers on the preparedness to report to in the wake of a
pandemic, many workers were willing to report. Anxiety was evident in the interview, but
they were willing to report to the health care facilities. This is based on the hospitals’
preparedness in the reduction of the chances of infections to occur in the hospitals as they
attend to the patients. The health care workers reported that appropriate measures were
put in place to identify health workers infected and isolation procedures to handle the case,
hence preventing other staff infection chances. However, the health care professionals were
unwilling to attend to the patients in the next pandemic due to fear of personal and family
safety. This is because the workers are expected to be infected first as they are in direct
contact with their patients, which would then be transmitted to their family members.
Therefore, when healthcare professionals consider themselves at a greater risk of a
pandemic in the middle of a pandemic, their chances of reporting to their work station are
low. However, according to the respondents, the hospital management was putting in place
measures to ensure that the health care professionals were well taken care CHAPTER 4 4 of.
This includes educational training on how to protect them adequately against the pandemic.
The move would prepare the healthcare workers on the protocol update on pandemic
preparedness, which would reduce uncertainties. The respondents viewed the
preparedness of the hospital’s capacity to meet the infrastructure required in the fight
against a pandemic as a mixed one. The preparedness in the infrastructure was weak, with

3. little pandemic infrastructure presentation hence a potential challenge in addressing the
pandemic in case of an increase in the number of cases. Assignment: Preparedness in Acute
Health CareAs an important part of the fight against a pandemic, the emergency department
was identified as lacking essential facilities to care for the patients. Based on the current
pandemic that has affected the globe, the respondents commented on the need for adequate
preparedness in the emergency department to provide the isolation centers and disease
wards to handle a large number of infected persons. Most of the interviewees cited the lack
of proper measures to handle the pandemic in healthcare facilities. The respondents also
cited the need to have expanded emergency departments or shifting the department in a
new expanded space to fully handle the high number of expected patients (Sedgwick, 2013).
Although the health care facilities reported enough supply of medical equipment, personal
protective equipment, and enough supply for medications and other necessities in
managing a pandemic, there is still the need to do more and improve on the equipment,
especially in the public health setting. The hospitals had a minimum supply of additional
ventilators in case the infected patients increase. The intensive care units also needed an
urgent improvement in terms of the hospital bed and additional ventilators. The
respondents also raised concerns over the supply of consumables and essential equipment
during the epidemic in the whole healthcare sector. Some respondents also had concerns
over the health care sector’s CHAPTER 4 5 capabilities in conducting timely tests and
patient results, which would affect the management of the pandemic. The respondents also
raised a concern over the use and selection of PPE, vaccination programs and how
immunization is to be done. Therefore, there is a need for the health care facilities and the
management to formulate the best methods in guidance on the selection and use of the
personal protective equipment and immunization programs (Goodman, 2020).
Communication pandemic was also a concern for some respondents who thought there was
the need to have a well prepared and well-coordinated communication center on the
pandemic. Assignment: Preparedness in Acute Health CareThe interviewers felt that a lot
needed to be done to improve the communication on the pandemic situation, especially
among the health care professions and the patients. This was essential to prevent panic and
ensure smooth management and response to the pandemic (Christopher et al., 2020). The
content in the communication was also a major concern among the respondents on the
diagnostic and definitions. The other concern in the readiness of a pandemic in the acute
health care setting was the challenges of tracing, testing and treatment of the patients.
Discussion of the Findings The findings identified some areas that need an improvement in
the acute health care setting to adequately prepare for the management of the pandemic
when it occurs. A pandemic severity can be variable and, therefore, the need to have a plan
to handle the pandemic in the acute healthcare setting. Most of the hospitals under the
survey identified the need to have management procedures to adequately prepare the
health care workers in handling patients and ensuring their safety. The data analysis
indicates the need to have additional inpatient beds and CHAPTER 4 6 intensive care unit
beds to handle the large number of patients who may be infected. Also, there is a need to
have a plan to take care of the health workers and ensure that they are not at risk when
taking care of the patients. Such measures in place are essential to ensure that the workers

4. are motivated in caring for their patients without the worries of being infected and also
putting their families at risk of the infection. One of the major concerns among healthcare
workers was the hospital preparedness in the fight against the pandemic in both the public
and the private sector (Christopher et al., 2020). The patients’ fear in the healthcare setting
due to inadequate planning of the hospitals in the fight against a pandemic is a major
concern that needs to be addressed. Without proper plans in place and protection of the
health workers against the pandemic is a major crisis in managing the pandemic (Lopalco &
Tan, 2016). Without proper measures to support the health care professionals in the wake
of a pandemic, it would be difficult to address the pandemic. Health care professionals need
an assurance of safety against the disease for themselves and their families to effectively
offer their services in the fight against infections. There is a need to have proper steps to
educate the workers on selecting personal protective equipment and how to safeguard
themselves (Goodman, 2020). Limitation of the study The study’s major limitation is the
small number of participants in the research project and the number of hospitals with
emergency departments. Assignment: Preparedness in Acute Health CareThe planning
framework and preparedness are based only on the respondents’ knowledge, which may be
a limitation in the study in terms of data collection. The data provided on essential
equipment and infrastructures in the hospitals CHAPTER 4 7 was scanty, limiting the
hospitals’ major position. The study also included qualitative data to strengthen interview
data, which may not be the case (Sedgwick, 2013). Recommendations The research project
provided important information and an overview of the hospitals’ current situation and the
need to have an improvement in areas identified. This will ensure that the hospitals are
adequately prepared in case a pandemic affects a large percentage of the health care sector
across the globe. The research project will be presented to the local hospitals, which I
believe will help them improve their health care facilities and be more prepared in the fight
against a pandemic. CHAPTER 4 8 References Goodman, A. (2020). The Global Impact of the
Zika Virus Pandemic: The Importance of Emergency Preparedness. Health, 12(02), 132-140.
https://doi.org/10.4236/health.2020.122012 Lopalco, P., & Tan, L. (2016). Pandemic
vaccines: are we prepared for the next pandemic?. Future Virology, 11(4), 253-258.
https://doi.org/10.2217/fvl-2016-0020 Edwards, R., & Brannelly, T. (2017). Approaches to
democratizing qualitative research methods. Qualitative Research, 17(3), 271-277.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794117706869 Christopher, D., Isaac, B., Rupali, P., &
Thangakunam, B. (2020). Healthcare preparedness and healthcare worker protection in
COVID-19 pandemic. Lung India, 37(3), 238.
https://doi.org/10.4103/lungindia.lungindia_189_20 METHOD 1 Capstone Method Mariann
England Aspen University Nursing Capstone Dr. Julie Kolde July 13, 2020 METHOD 2
METHOD Procedure This study uses a cohort study design to establish the cause of the
ailment and identify links between risk factors. Local hospitals with an operational
intensive care unit and emergency department will be recognized and contacted via
telephone to help identify the emergency management coordinators in charge of emergency
management, planning, and operations. A structured questionnaire was prepared based on
an existing pandemic management plan. The survey has its main sections as facility
planning data, workforce glitches and structure, and surge capacity. The questionnaire was

5. piloted using a representative number of individuals. Data was collected and computed for
univariate and bivariate analysis. A qualitative approach is then used for text responses
(Edwards & Brannelly, 2017). The cohort study method is applicable in this research as a
non-experimental study where the participants included in the study are selected based on
the interests in the research outcome. The study uses the study design to assess the level of
preparedness in a pandemic in the acute health care setting. The cohort study involves local
hospitals designed to handle intensive care to patients affected by a pandemic. Subjects and
participants The research focused on local hospitals with intensive healthcare facilities and
emergency departments contacted on the research via telephone. The selected hospitals
were subjected to the research. The management in the emergency department and the
management in intensive care will be required to fill a pre-prepared questionnaire. These
are the most important sources of information on how their health facilities are prepared to
fight against a pandemic. The research METHOD 3 design requires that the participants be
subjected to training on how the response should be made (MacKay et al., 2020). Collection
of Data Primary and secondary data were collected in the research in which the participants
provided the primary source of data. In contrast, the qualitative approach on review of past
research works on pandemic preparedness was used. The primary data involved the use of
a prepared questionnaire based on past research work on pandemic preparedness.. In
addition, interviews were also good sources of information on how acute healthcare
facilities are prepared in the management of the pandemic. Assignment: Preparedness in
Acute Health CareThe interviews involved 20 healthcare professionals in the emergency
and intensive care unit based on their roles in the health care facilities. A qualitative case
study was used to collect secondary data on the preparedness of the health care facilities in
the fight and management of the pandemic in the acute health care setting. There was a
need to prevent biases, and therefore, the information was sourced from two independent
sources: the information provided by the ministry of health and the internet which
provided reviewed articles on the readiness of the acute health care setting in containing a
pandemic. The internet database provided such materials from Google Scholar and included
search terms such as pandemic readiness in the acute health care setting, and how are
health care prepared in the fight against the next pandemic? Information provided by
healthcare facilities included their procedures in handling the infected patients at the
emergency department and the intensive care unit (Edwards & Brannelly, 2017). In the
qualitative research methods, the case study approach was more effective in collecting data
through a literature review of previous studies on the same topic. This provided important
information required in the research on the preparedness in the event of a pandemic.
METHOD 4 Advantage of the data collection strategy The strategy used in collecting data
has its advantages over the other methods in the study and therefore considered the most
appropriate research method for the study. This is because the cohort study method
provides an opportunity to have clarity of the temporal sequence, which determines
whether the exposure preceded the expected outcomes. The cohort study method clearly
indicates the temporal sequence in the outcome and the exposure. The study also provides
an opportunity for the calculation of incidences of the likelihood of a disease, which can be
grouped as absolute risk, relative risk, attributable proportion, and risk difference. The

6. multiple outcomes of the study can also be determined simultaneously. Qualitative data
collection is also important in research given that the researcher can be more speculative
on the interest areas of research and how the investigation is to be done. The research is
also more targeted in the whole process, which improves data collection process while
minimizing the cost of the data collection process. Limitations Despite the advantages of the
cohort study strategy, some limitations may make the research process a challenge. For
instance, a researcher is expected to conduct a follow up of a large subject over a long
period, the study method may be expensive and also consumes a lot of time, may introduce
bias as a result of differential loss of participants follow up, data may be of poor quality if
the data used was not designed for this type of study (Sedgwick, 2013). In qualitative
analysis, the limitation of the study method is that the strategy may be timeconsuming,
which remains a major drawback in a research method. The interpretation of the data may
also be limited. This is because; qualitative methods may take between weeks and months
METHOD 5 and given that the collection of data may deviate from the main study question.
The process is also labor-intensive due to the analysis process, such as recording and
categorization and requires a very experienced researcher to obtain the required
information. Finally, the research strategy is not representative statistically. Assignment:
Preparedness in Acute Health CareThis is because the strategy is based on perspectives, and
the responses given are not measured. Also, the research may result in comparison, which
may lead to duplication. Therefore, there is a need to cross-examine the data collected to
avoid duplication (Sedgwick, 2013). Ethical Issues on Collection Upon the participants
Ethical consideration that was considered in the research study includes informed consent,
voluntary participation, confidentiality and anonymity. Information consent ensures that
the participants in the research are fully aware of the project. In this regard, the participants
were briefed on the study’s expectations to make an informed decision on their
participation. Participation in the research was voluntary, and they were allowed to
withdraw from the research without discriminations. Finally, the participants’
confidentiality was maintained, and their information was to be confidential only to the
program coordinator, and therefore no use of names was done. This ensures that
participants remain anonymous (Velip, 2018). Data Analysis The collected data were
subjected to statistical analysis, which included collecting the data, analysis, interpretation
and modeling. The analysis involved a descriptive analysis of a set of collected samples and
data. The analysis involved statistical tools in computing the data collected from the
participants. METHOD 6 References Edwards, R., & Brannelly, T. (2017). Approaches to
democratizing qualitative research methods. Qualitative Research, 17(3), 271-277.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794117706869 Velip, P. (2018). Ethical Issues in Research
Writing. International Journal Of Trend In Scientific Research And Development, Volume-
2(Issue-5), 2429-2432. https://doi.org/10.31142/ijtsrd18329 MacKay, D., Jecker, N.,
Pitisuttithum, P., & Saylor, K. (2020). Selecting participants fairly for controlled human
infection studies. Bioethics. https://doi.org/10.1111/bioe.12778 Sedgwick, P. (2013).
Prospective cohort studies: advantages and disadvantages. BMJ, 347(nov08 1), f6726-
f6726. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f6726 Running head: LITERATURE REVIEW 1
Literature Review Mariann England Aspen University Nursing Capstone Dr. Julie Kolde July

7. 6, 2020 LITERATURE REVIEW 2 Analysis of literature In the event of a pandemic, most of
the population is exposed to the high rate of the pandemic, which remains at 40-60 % of the
affected population. However, the lack of the necessary guidelines and standards in the fight
against the pandemic can be the most important failure in the acute health care setting.
Therefore, it is important for the healthcare setting to be ready and well prepared with
measures and strategies in place to counter the effects of a pandemic. The world has
witnessed different incidences of pandemics that remain a major health burden to many
different countries. One kind of pandemic is Influenza, which affects a large population of
different countries. Due to the growth of urbanization and global transportation, it is
evident that, in the case of a pandemic, it is likely to spread rapidly across the world.
Therefore, Pandemic readiness in the acute health care setti .