The collection of evidence is an activity that occurs with an endgame in mind. For example, law enforcement professionals collect evidence to support a decision to charge those accused of criminal activity. Similarly, evidence-based healthcare practitioners collect evidence to support decisions in pursuit of specific healthcare outcomes.

In this Assignment, you will identify an issue or opportunity for change within your healthcare organization and propose an idea for a change in practice supported by an EBP approach.

To Prepare:

• Reflect on the four peer-reviewed articles you critically appraised in Module 4.
• Reflect on your current healthcare organization and think about potential opportunities for evidence-based change.

The Assignment: (Evidence-Based Project)

Part 5: Recommending an Evidence-Based Practice Change

Create an 8- to 9-slide PowerPoint presentation in which you do the following:

• Briefly describe your healthcare organization, including its culture and readiness for change. (You may opt to keep various elements of this anonymous, such as your company name.)
• Describe the current problem or opportunity for change. Include in this description the circumstances surrounding the need for change, the scope of the issue, the stakeholders involved, and the risks associated with change implementation in general.
• Propose an evidence-based idea for a change in practice using an EBP approach to decision making. Note that you may find further research needs to be conducted if sufficient evidence is not discovered.
• Describe your plan for knowledge transfer of this change, including knowledge creation, dissemination, and organizational adoption and implementation.
• Describe the measurable outcomes you hope to achieve with the implementation of this evidence-based change.
• Be sure to provide APA citations of the supporting evidence-based peer reviewed articles you selected to support your thinking.
• Add a lessons learned section that includes the following:
  • A summary of the critical appraisal of the peer-reviewed articles you previously submitted
  • An explanation about what you learned from completing the evaluation table (1 slide)
  • An explanation about what you learned from completing the levels of evidence table (1 slide)
  • An explanation about what you learned from completing the outcomes synthesis table (1 slide)
  • 3 to 5 references with 5 years.

Depression in later life is usually diagnosed on the basis of two clusters of symptoms: feelings and physical changes. In a 3-page paper, written in APA format using proper spelling/grammar, research the topic of depression in the elderly and address the following:

1. How would one know if an elderly relative had clinical depression or was sad because of specific life changes and losses?
2. What are the consequences of depression in the elderly?
3. Which behaviors would indicate a person going through depression needs therapy?
4. What kind of therapy would a professional recommend and why?

Be sure to include APA citations for any resources you used as references.

Research in Clinical Forensic Settings

The provision of clinical services in forensic settings is, in some ways, very similar to non-forensic settings. However, forensic populations may provide challenges not typically seen in other settings. One challenge in many forensic clinical settings is the prediction of future behavior. In many cases, the behavior of interest is violence. Violence, like many behaviors that are rare, is, at best, difficult to predict. Much research has been conducted on the various methods used to predict future violence. From actuarial risk measures to clinical intuition, forensic psychology researchers have debated the best way to assess the potential for violent acts.

Other psychological issues found in clinical forensic settings and that trigger research questions include the development of treatment programs to restore an individual’s competency to stand trial, the treatment of the criminally insane, sex offender assessment and treatment, and even the general evaluation of the need for long-term placement. Research can help forensic psychology professionals make important decisions in these and other related areas.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review this week’s DVD program, “Application of Psychological Research – Clinical Settings.” Consider the areas of forensic psychology research that are relevant to forensic clinical settings.
• Review the article, “ Actuarial Versus Clinical Assessments of Dangerousness,” in this week’s Learning Resources.
• Pay particular attention to the studies discussed in the article and the key “takeaways” from these studies. Think about how a forensic psychology professional might use the findings of the studies in a forensic clinical setting.
• Using the Walden Library, select and review another study, current or historical, that was conducted in a forensic clinical setting.
• Again, focus on the key “takeaways” of the study you selected and think about how the findings might be used by a forensic psychology professional in forensic clinical settings.

Learning Resources

This page contains the Learning Resources for this week. Be sure to scroll down the page to see all of this week’s assigned Learning Resources. To access select media resources, please use the media player below.

Reading

Media

• Video: Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Understanding forensic psychology research: Application of psychological research – Clinical settings. Baltimore: Author.

Optional Resources

• Note: Because of the ever-changing nature of websites such as those listed below, there is no guarantee that clips or websites will always be available. Hence, the following links are listed as Optional Resources only. However, it is highly recommended that you view them as they will assist you in completing one or more of your assignments.
• Monograph: O’Toole, M. E. (n.d.). The school shooter: A threat assessment perspective. Retrieved October 1, 2009, from http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/school-shooter
• Article: Boothby, J. L., & Clements, C. B. (2000). A national survey of correctional psychologists. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 27(6), 716-732.
• Article: Homant, R., & Kennedy, D. (1998). Psychological aspects of crime scene profiling. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 25(3), 319–343.
• Report: U.S. Department of Justice. (2003). Federal Bureau of Prisons drug interdiction activities, report number 1-2003-002. Retrieved from http://www.justice.gov/oig/reports/BOP/e0302/final.pdf

Outcomes met by completing this project:

1. identify ethical issues that arise in domestic and global business environments using an understanding of ethical concepts and of legal and business principles

Case Scenario:

Pacific Gas and Electric Corporation (PG&E) that supplies electricity and natural gas to 16 million people, owns the transmission lines attributed to causing the November 2018 California “Camp Fire” that killed 85 people and destroyed thousands of acres of land including wildlife and the town of Paradise, California. Facing more than $30 billion in liability costs, the company has filed for bankruptcy protection.   

Recent investigations including documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, reveals disturbing historical facts about the company’s knowledge and management of its infrastructure.  The information shows that the company knew of 49 steel towers needing replacement long before the November fire (WSJ, 2019).  Built in the early 1900s, much of PG&E’s original equipment remained in service including towers with a life expectancy of 65 years but kept in operation up to 108 years (WSJ, 2019).  More than 2500 towers in the system were installed in the 1900s and 1910s, and an additional 6900 towers were kept in operation without knowing their age (WSJ, 2019).  

According to Federal Regulatory findings PG&E repeatedly delayed upgrades to the older equipment, opting instead to spend billions on projects like sub-station upgrades.  California’s rules for electrical transmission are a simple three sentences stating that each utility company must come up with its own procedures and follow them.    

The danger was exacerbated in 2013 when historic drought dried up California land.  In 2017 the company acknowledged in its internal documents that a plan was needed to prevent structural failure and ground fires.  State officials concluded that equipment failure on the Caribou-Palermo line, built in 1921 was the cause of the deadly California fire.   

According to an attorney representing victims in a lawsuit against PG&E, the company spent money from customers to boost corporate profits and compensation, rather than infrastructure maintenance and safety (CNBC, 2018).   

The lawyer further stated that while other utilities routinely shut power lines down when windy conditions prevailed, PG&E’s pattern was to remain in service.  He attributed this to management bonuses that were tied to customer complaints, rather than safety adherence (CNBC, 2018).  On June 18, 2019 PG&E agreed to pay the town of Paradise $569.5 million in settlements to help rebuild the destroyed community (KRCR, 2019).   Other lawsuits are ongoing and pending without final rulings.  

PG&E stated it has begun repairs and spot fixes to the most severe problems and has closed the Caribou-Palermo line all together.  Its website dedicates a page to reorganization under Chapter 11 including specific infrastructure and safety measures.   PG&E’s CEO and President, William D. Johnson is supported by a host of vice presidents including a Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer and a VP of Community Wildfire Safety (PG&E website). 

How to Set Up the Paper

Create a Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) document that is double-spaced, 12-point font.

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