In this written assignment, identify one specific contemporary issue or trend that you are interested in learning more about. Choose from the categories below. For example you might want to learn more about why it is more difficult for some groups to receive care than others, which would fall under Client Access to Care. Or, you might want to compare nursing practice in the U.S. with how nurses practice in Japan, which would fall under the category of Global Healthcare and Nursing. Global Healthcare and Nursing Healthcare Reform U.S. Healthcare Financing Nursing′s Role in the U.S. Healthcare System Integrative Healthcare Nursing Leadership and Management Nursing Education Nursing Practice Nursing Professionalism Advancing Nursing as a Profession Client Access to Care Delivering Client Care Interdisciplinary Teamwork and Collaboration Ethical Practices in Healthcare Quality and Safety in Healthcare Delivery Health/Nursing Informatics Once the issue or trend is identified, find five important/significant facts about it, substantiated by an evidence-based article or reference.

Identify two areas of nursing practice, which evidence-based practice has improved patient outcomes. State the study and its impact on patient care. How have these findings changed your nursing practice? Please support your response with a minimum of two supporting peer reviewed articles.

Discussion: Addressing an Unmet Need Through Strategic Planning

Challenges can seem ever present in the health care field. Problems related to the quality of patient care, financial matters, technology, and interdisciplinary collaboration, for example, are often evident in organizations and professional groups.

In your role as a nurse leader-manager, it is important to consider challenges and how these translate into unmet needs. You can then create valuable change by addressing these unmet needs through strategic planning.

Through this Discussion, you may distinguish the focus for your Course Project. Your instructor and colleagues will provide feedback to help you refine your idea as you move forward.

To prepare:

Consider the information presented by Dr. Carol Huston in this week’s media program. Think about the process of moving from the identification of an unmet need through the development, implementation, and evaluation of a strategic plan.
Reflect on the initial thinking about trends and unmet needs in nursing and health care that you addressed in Week 5.
Consider how the information in this week’s Learning Resources deepens and expands your understanding of these trends and unmet needs in relation to the strategic planning process.
Proceed with planning for your Course Project as follows:
Select an unmet need that affects a specific group, unit, or organization.
Deepen your understanding of this group, unit, or organization by examining the stated mission, vision, and values, if possible.
Analyze historical data related to the unmet need, and review the evidence in the literature. Use this information to engage in forecasting.
Consider which stakeholders should be included in the strategic planning process.
Begin to formulate a vision for addressing this need at the organizational or systems level. (Note: Although not required for this Discussion, you will need to develop a strategic goal for your Course Project.)