Purpose

This project is an in-depth investigation of a health condition. It will allow for the expansion of knowledge and the ability to generalize larger concepts to a variety of health conditions.

Course outcomes:   This assignment enables the student to meet the following course outcomes.

1.   Explain the pathophysiologic processes of select health conditions. (PO 1)

2.   Predict clinical manifestations and complications of select disease processes. (PO 1, 8)

3.   Correlate lifestyle, environmental, and other influences with changes in levels of wellness. (PO 1, 7)

Due date: Your faculty member will inform you when this assignment is due. The Late Assignment Policy applies to this assignment.

Total points possible: 100 points

Preparing the assignment

Follow these guidelines when completing this assignment. Speak with your faculty member if you have questions.

1)     Select a disease process that interests you.

2)     Obtain approval of the selected disease process from the course faculty.

a.       Faculty will share how to submit your topic choice for approval.

3)     Form a group of 5-6 students and select a team leader.

a.       Each student is responsible for contributing a unique aspect of the presentation as outlined below.

•         Team Leader

§ Prepares and submits the presentation on behalf of the group.

o   The presentation must include a cover slide that lists the topic and team members

o   The presentation must clearly indicate the specific portion that each team member completed.

§ Collates utilized references and summarizes key points.

•         Team Members

§ Etiology and risk factors of selected disease

o   Common causes of the disease or condition

o   Risk factors for the disease or condition

o   Impact of age

o   Prevalence based on gender,

o   Influence of environment

o   Genetic basis of disease

o   Lifestyle influences

o   All information supported by current literature

§ Pathophysiological process of the selected disease

o   Describes changes occurring at the cellular, tissue, and/or organ level that contribute to the disease process.

o   Describes adaptation of the cells and body in response to the disease.

o   Relates disease processes to manifested signs and symptoms.

o   All information supported by current literature

§ Clinical manifestations and complications of the selected disease

o   Describes the physical signs and symptoms that are important in considering the presence of the disease.

o   Identifies signs that contribute to diagnosis of the condition

o   Identifies symptoms that contribute to diagnosis of the condition.

o   Identifies complications of the disease.

o   Discusses the implications to the patient when complications are left untreated.

o   All information supported by current literature

§ Diagnostics

o   Includes list of common laboratory and diagnostic tests used to determine the presence of the disease.

o   Discusses the significance of test findings in relation to the disease process.

o   All information supported by current literature

§ Interview with an individual living with the disease

o   The interviewee must be at least 18 years old and able to answer questions by themselves

o   The interviewee must currently have the chronic disease/disorder. If an interviewee has been diagnosed with a disease/disorder but has NO manifestations or complications related to the disorder they DO NOT qualify for the assignment.

o   Acute infections/diseases DO NOT qualify (pneumonia, urinary tract infection, flu, colds).

o   The interviewee cannot be a patient from the clinical setting or a patient from your work environment (hospitals, doctor’s office, LTC facility, home health, etc.)

o   The interviewee may be a relative, friend, colleague, or stranger.

o   Please use the individual’s own words in relation to their experience with the disease/disorder.

o   NOTE: This assignment is for educational purposes only. Students are NOT to provide any medical/nursing advice or education to interviewees. Refer interviewee questions to their physician.

o   Interview Questions

•         What is the age of the individual being interviewed? What is the relationship of the individual to you? How long have they had the disorder?

•         What clinical manifestations of the disorder does the individual experience? How does it compare to what you discovered in your resources?

•         What complications of the disorder does the individual experience? How does this compare to what you discovered in your resources?

•         What other medical conditions/disorders has the individual been diagnosed with? Do their other medical conditions have any effect on the chosen disorder?

•         How does the disease affect the individual’s daily living/activities? (repeat hospitalizations, must take a lot of medications, any activity restrictions, a lot of appointments?)

•         How does the disease/disorder affect the individual’s outlook on life? (Feel like a burden to family, do they have good family support, feel hopeless, optimistic, good coping mechanisms?)

•         How has interviewing the individual changed your understanding of living with the disease process?

b.       Each team member will provide their part of the presentation to the team leader including citations and references.

c.       Each team member will separately submit their section of the final product to the assignment dropbox in the online course.

d.       Each team member will present their assigned portion to the class. The presentation will last no more than 15 minutes, total (not per team member).

e.       Practice as a group how you will present this issue. Make notes for your reference during the presentation and be prepared to discuss your scholarly literature.

4)     Include the following sections in the presentation.

a.       Professionalism - 15 points/15%

•         Team members are professionally dressed.

•         Team is introduced and assigned roles are identified prior to starting the presentation.

•         Full group participation.

•         Respectful and professional language is used throughout the presentation.

•         Adheres to the time limit of 15 minutes.

b.       Team Presentation - 60 points/60%

•         Full names of all team members with initials of team member completing present in the assigned section.

•         Content is presented clearly, accurately, and in a scholarly manner.

•         Citations included for each section.

•         Presentation includes sections with content as outlined above.

o   Title page with topic and members listed

o   Introduction of the disease

o   Etiology and risk factors of selected disease

o   Pathophysiological process of the selected disease

o   Clinical manifestations and complications of the selected disease

o   Diagnostics

o   Insights from individual living with the disease

o   Complete list of references

c.       Speaker Notes and Reflection- 20 points/20%

•         APA Title page with assigned individual part identified.

•         Ideas presented clearly.

•         APA citations throughout.

•         At least two (2) nursing, peer reviewed, primary sources from the last 5 years, excluding the textbook used to support work.

•         APA reference page.

•         Each student includes a reflection on what was learned completing this team assignment.

d.     Poster APA Style and Organization – 5 points/5%

•         References are submitted with assignment.

•         Uses current APA format and is free of errors.

•         Grammar and mechanics are free of errors.

•         At least two (2) scholarly, primary sources from the last 5 years, excluding the textbook, are provided.

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Please note that your instructor may provide you with additional assessments in any form to determine that you fully understand the concepts learned.