Introduction
In your healthcare career, you will be confronted with many problems that demand a solution. By using research skills, you can learn what others are doing and saying about similar problems. Then, you can analyze the problem and the people and systems it affects. You can also examine potential solutions and their ramifications. This assessment allows you to practice this approach with the real-world problem you've selected.
Prepare
For this assessment, you will analyze the same current healthcare problem or issue topic area you selected for Assessments 2 and 3. To explore the chosen topic, use the first four topics of the Socratic Problem-Solving Approach for critical thinking.
- Start by defining the healthcare problem or issue based on the selected healthcare topic.
- Provide details about the problems or issues that are part of the chosen topic, and identify causes for the problems or issues.
- Identify at least three scholarly or academic peer-reviewed journal articles about the topic you are discussing by using articles you found for Assessment 2 or by searching the Capella library using the BSN Program Library Research Guide.
Write Your Assessment
- Use scholarly information to explain a healthcare problem or issue related to your selected topic.
- Cite credible, relevant sources to validate and reinforce the information used to explain the healthcare topic.
- Analyze the problem or issue.
- Describe the setting or context for the problem or issue.
- Describe the reasons that make the problem or issue important to you.
- Identify groups of people affected by the problem or issue.
- Compare and contrast potential solutions for the problem or issue.
- Describe potential solutions.
- Compare and contrast your opinion with other opinions you find in sources from the Capella library.
- Provide the pros and cons for one of the solutions you are proposing.
- Explain how the ethical principles (beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice) apply if your potential solution were implemented.
- Describe what would be necessary to implement the proposed solution.
- Explain what ethical principles need to be considered (beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice) and how they apply if your potential solution were implemented. How would bias need to be considered?
- Provide examples from the literature to support the points you are making.
- Explain how the solution you present will benefit or help to improve your selected topic as it relates to at least one of the Four Spheres of Care:
- Wellness, Disease Prevention.
- Chronic Disease Management.
- Regenerative/Restorative Care.
- Hospice and Palliative Care.
Organize your assessment using the following structure and headings:
- Title page. (A separate page.)
- Introduction. (A one-paragraph statement about the purpose of the assessment.)
- Identify the elements of the problem, issue, or question.
- Analyze, define, and frame the problem, issue, or question.
- Consider solutions, responses, or answers.
- Choose a solution, response, or answer.
- Implementation of the potential solution.
- Conclusion. (One paragraph.)
Academic Requirements
Your assessment should meet the following requirements:
- Length: Include at least 3–5 typed, double-spaced pages, in addition to the title page and reference page.
- Font and font size: Use Times New Roman, 12 point.
- Writing: Produce text with minimal grammar, usage, spelling, and mechanical errors.
- Sources: Integrate into text appropriate use of scholarly sources, evidence, and citation style.
- References: Use at least three scholarly or academic peer-reviewed journal articles and three in-text citations within the assessment. Visit Evidence and APA if needed. Use scholarly or academic peer-reviewed journal articles published during the past 3–5 years that relate to your topic. Visit BSN Program Library Research Guide for help with research.
Example assessment: You may use the Assessment 5 Example [PDF] to give you an idea of what a Proficient or higher rating on the scoring guide would look like.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:
- Competency 1: Apply information literacy and library research skills to obtain scholarly information in the field of healthcare.
- Use scholarly information to explain a healthcare problem or issue.
- Competency 2: Apply scholarly information through critical thinking to solve problems in the field of healthcare.
- Analyze a healthcare problem or issue.
- Compare and contrast potential solutions for a problem or issue.
- Explain how a presented solution will benefit or help to improve a selected healthcare topic or issue as it relates to at least one of the Four Spheres of Care.
- Competency 3: Apply ethical principles and academic standards to the study of healthcare.
- Explain the ethical principles (beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice) that need to be considered if a potential solution were implemented.
- Competency 5: Write for a specific audience, in an appropriate tone and style, in accordance with Capella writing standards.
- Produce text with minimal grammatical, usage, spelling, and mechanical errors.
- Integrate into text appropriate use of scholarly sources, evidence, and citation style.
Below i attached the same assessment from before we talked about, Health Information Privacy
2
Assessment 2
Applying Research Skills: Health Information Privacy
Omar Rodriguez
Capella University
NURS-FPX4000
Professor Michele Lopez
09/02/2025
Health Information Privacy
Health information privacy is a pressing healthcare issue driven by the widespread use of electronic health records (EHRs) and digital health technologies. According to Carvalho, Bandiera-Paiva, Marques, and Machado (2021), preventing breaches of data and unauthorized access is essential to safeguard patient confidentiality, build trust, and maintain compliance with regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The GDPR, enacted in 2018, introduced strict requirements for organizations that access private data in Health Information Systems (HIS) (Carvalho et al., 2021). This paper will briefly discuss how these regulations are essential, as they directly affect patient safety, organizational accountability, and compliance with patient data standards through annotated bibliographies of three peer-reviewed scholarly articles.
Professional Relevance
Nursing is often regarded as one of the most ethical professions. This entails that nurses are morally obligated to advocate for patient rights, securely document within patient records and collaborate with other healthcare professionals while maintaining patient safety and integrity. Nurses are at the forefront of maintaining patient privacy and confidentiality, as they are directly involved in providing patient care and education, have access to all relevant medical records and charts and perform one-to-one activities with patients and families. Acting as a gateway between patients and the entirety of the healthcare system, nurses must ensure to be compliant with patient privacy regulations, such as HIPAA and GDPR (Wu et al., 2023).
Article Selection Process
Research on best practices for addressing health information privacy was conducted using Capella University’s library resources, including CINAHL Plus with Full Text, PubMed, and ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Database. Broad keywords such as “health information privacy, electronic health records, data security, and patient confidentiality” were used to narrow down the number of articles. The search was refined with more specific terms, including cybersecurity, privacy regulations, encryption, and healthcare compliance. These results were then filtered to show only peer-reviewed articles published within the last five years.
Assessing Credibility and Relevance
To check the credibility of the articles, the abstracts were reviewed to ensure that the articles went along with the research topic, and only those that meet both the correct content and criteria were selected. The purpose of the articles were clearly defined and in line with the topic of this paper. The authors from the chosen articles have previously published articles for well-known and recognized journals in the world of healthcare. These articles contain strictly factual information cited from other credible sources, studies, etc. For example, Carvalho et al. (2021) conducted a systematic study and published it to the International Journal of Reliable and Quality E-Healthcare, a reputable and widely cited journal. Wu et al. (2023) published their article to World Wide Web, which is a credible journal focusing on scientific and technological innovations, filled with peer-reviewed scholarly articles. Ohaja et al. (2023) submitted their research and article to Cogent Arts & Humanities, a multidisciplinary database with peer-reviewed scholarly journals supported by an international editorial board. To further ensure the quality and relevance of the articles, only journal articles that were peer-reviewed and published within the past three to five years were selected.
Annotated Bibliography
Carvalho, M., Bandiera-Paiva, P., Marques, E., & Machado, J. M. (2021). Health information systems (HIS) privacy restrictions for GDPR. International Journal of Reliable and Quality E-Healthcare, 10(2), 4–16. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijrqeh.2021040102 This article described the privacy restrictions of health information systems under the foundation of GDPR. The study focused on the difficulties of executing GDPR guidelines, such as patient consent in healthcare environments. The study also noted that although GDPR can help attain patient confidence, the new system requires many changes in the overall structure of healthcare we already have established. The authors recommended using encryption models and access mechanisms as solutions to compliance issues. This article also pinpointed the differences regarding the flow of health information when patient care is centered at one facility versus requiring transferring to multiple facilities. This article is credible, as it was published in a well-known peer-reviewed journal that focuses on healthcare technologies. The authors of this article are all experienced in the field of healthcare technology and health informatics. This article is valuable for healthcare workers because it shows how privacy regulations directly affect the patients and the care they receive.
Ohaja, E. U., Ukonu, M. O., Mbamalu, M., & Ezeanwu, R. (2023). COVID-19 information protection: Between information privacy, health secrecy and public safety. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 10(1), 2184463. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2184463 This article discussed health information privacy, specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. The study focused on how the government’s control of information negatively impacted public trust. The articles’ findings showed that restricted media access to isolation centers led to incomplete coverage and widespread suspicion from the public. The articles concluded that maintaining transparent communication is vital for preserving trust, specifically during a health crisis or pandemic. This study is credible because it was published in a peer-reviewed journal, and its’ authors are scholars that specialize in public health and health data. This study is important for nurses and healthcare workers in general, as it focuses on how important communication and transparency is in the eye of the public. This article will help to remind healthcare workers that they play a key role in maintaining the confidence and trust of the people and ensuring they remain educated as healthcare changes over time.
Wu, Z., Liu, H., Xie, J., Xu, G., Li, G., & Lu, C. (2023). An effective method for the protection of user health topic privacy for health information services. World Wide Web, 26(6), 3837–3859. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11280-023-01208-5 This article focused mainly on a new and inventive solution for the current issues regarding healthcare security. This study proposed a method for privacy protection for health information services using identity replacement and agent algorithms in cloud-based systems. The model reduces privacy exposure without reducing efficiency, which offered a direct solution for maintaining health data safely and securely. The article provided a more technical perspective that focused on regulatory and social matters regarding health information privacy. This article is credible because it was published by authors with experience and proficiency in healthcare security on the World Wide Web, which is a peer-reviewed journal filled with studies from researchers and authors with expertise in data security and healthcare technologies. The research conducted by the authors of this article is more important for nurses than ever, as it focuses on one of the most important aspects of healthcare, the protection and privacy of their patients’ information.
Learnings from Research
The research process for this annotated bibliography highlighted health information privacy as a pressing concern in modern times. It demonstrated how it is more important than ever to ensure patient confidentiality is maintained in modern times where everything is digitalized. Compiling the information for the annotated bibliography, ensuring the formatting was correct, learning the process of discovering specific articles with the correct information, using the correct keywords to narrow down the number of articles and filtering for peer-reviewed articles within the last three to five years reiterated the importance of how important it is to correctly use an online library to conduct research. The combined learnings from the requirements of this essay will prove to be useful for future coursework in this program.
References
Carvalho, M., Bandiera-Paiva, P., Marques, E., & Machado, J. M. (2021). Health information systems (HIS) privacy restrictions for GDPR. International Journal of Reliable and Quality E-Healthcare, 10(2), 4–16. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijrqeh.2021040102
Ohaja, E. U., Ukonu, M. O., Mbamalu, M., & Ezeanwu, R. (2023). COVID-19 information protection: Between information privacy, health secrecy and public safety. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 10(1), 2184463. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2184463
Wu, Z., Liu, H., Xie, J., Xu, G., Li, G., & Lu, C. (2023). An effective method for the protection of user health topic privacy for health information services. World Wide Web, 26(6), 3837–3859. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11280-023-01208-5