NRNP 6635 Week 2 Discussion: The Psychiatric Evaluation and Evidence-Based Rating Scales

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NRNP 6635 Week 2 Discussion: The Psychiatric Evaluation and Evidence-Based Rating Scales – Step-by-Step Guide

The first step before starting to write the NRNP 6635 Week 2 Discussion: The Psychiatric Evaluation and Evidence-Based Rating Scales, it is essential to understand the requirements of the assignment. The first step is to read the assignment prompt carefully to identify the topic, the length and format requirements. You should go through the rubric provided so that you can understand what is needed to score the maximum points for each part of the assignment. 

It is also important to identify the audience of the paper and its purpose so that it can help you determine the tone and style to use throughout. You can then create a timeline to help you complete each stage of the paper, such as conducting research, writing the paper, and revising it to avoid last-minute stress before the deadline. After identifying the formatting style to be applied to the paper, such as APA, you should review its use, such as writing citations and referencing the resources used. You should also review how to format the title page and the headings in the paper.

How to Research and Prepare for NRNP 6635 Week 2 Discussion: The Psychiatric Evaluation and Evidence-Based Rating Scales

The next step in preparing for your paper is to conduct research and identify the best sources to use to support your arguments. Identify the list of keywords from your topic using different combinations. The first step is to visit the university library and search through its database using the important keywords related to your topic. You can also find books, peer-reviewed articles, and credible sources for your topic from PubMed, JSTOR, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, and Google Scholar. Ensure that you select the references that have been published in the last words and go through each to check for credibility. Ensure that you obtain the references in the required format, for example, in APA, so that you can save time when creating the final reference list. 

You can also group the references according to their themes that align with the outline of the paper. Go through each reference for its content and summarize the key concepts, arguments and findings for each source. You can write down your reflections on how each reference connects to the topic you are researching about. After the above steps, you can develop a strong thesis that is clear, concise and arguable. Next you should create a detailed outline of the paper so that it can help you to create headings and subheadings to be used in the paper. Ensure that you plan what point will go into each paragraph.

How to Write the Introduction for NRNP 6635 Week 2 Discussion: The Psychiatric Evaluation and Evidence-Based Rating Scales

The introduction of the paper is the most crucial part as it helps to provide the context of your work, and will determine if the reader will be interested to read through to the end. You should start with a hook, which will help capture the reader’s attention. You should contextualize the topic by offering the reader a concise overview of the topic you are writing about so that they may understand its importance. You should state what you aim to achieve with the paper. The last part of the introduction should be your thesis statement, which provides the main argument of the paper.

How to Write the Body for NRNP 6635 Week 2 Discussion: The Psychiatric Evaluation and Evidence-Based Rating Scales

The body of the paper helps you to present your arguments and evidence to support your claims. You can use headings and subheadings developed in the paper’s outline to guide you on how to organize the body. Start each paragraph with a topic sentence to help the reader know what point you will be discussing in that paragraph. Support your claims using the evidence conducted from the research, ensure that you cite each source properly using in-text citations. You should analyze the evidence presented and explain its significance and how it connects to the thesis statement. You should maintain a logical flow between each paragraph by using transition words and a flow of ideas.

How to Write the In-text Citations for NRNP 6635 Week 2 Discussion: The Psychiatric Evaluation and Evidence-Based Rating Scales

In-text citations help the reader to give credit to the authors of the references they have used in their works. All ideas that have been borrowed from references, any statistics and direct quotes must be referenced properly. The name and date of publication of the paper should be included when writing an in-text citation. For example, in APA, after stating the information, you can put an in-text citation after the end of the sentence, such as (Smith, 2021). If you are quoting directly from a source, include the page number in the citation, for example (Smith, 2021, p. 15). Remember to also include a corresponding reference list at the end of your paper that provides full details of each source cited in your text. An example paragraph highlighting the use of in-text citations is as below:

The integration of technology in nursing practice has significantly transformed patient care and improved health outcomes. According to Smith (2021), the use of electronic health records (EHRs) has streamlined communication among healthcare providers, allowing for more coordinated and efficient care delivery. Furthermore, Johnson and Brown (2020) highlight that telehealth services have expanded access to care, particularly for patients in rural areas, thereby reducing barriers to treatment.

How to Write the Conclusion for NRNP 6635 Week 2 Discussion: The Psychiatric Evaluation and Evidence-Based Rating Scales

When writing the conclusion of the paper, start by restarting your thesis, which helps remind the reader what your paper is about. Summarize the key points of the paper, by restating them. Discuss the implications of your findings and your arguments. End with a call to action that leaves a lasting impact on the reader or recommendations.

How to Format the Reference List for NRNP 6635 Week 2 Discussion: The Psychiatric Evaluation and Evidence-Based Rating Scales

The reference helps provide the reader with the complete details of the sources you cited in the paper. The reference list should start with the title “References” on a new page. It should be aligned center and bolded. The references should be organized in an ascending order alphabetically and each should have a hanging indent. If a source has no author, it should be alphabetized by the title of the work, ignoring any initial articles such as “A,” “An,” or “The.” If you have multiple works by the same author, list them in chronological order, starting with the earliest publication. 

Each reference entry should include specific elements depending on the type of source. For books, include the author’s last name, first initial, publication year in parentheses, the title of the book in italics, the edition (if applicable), and the publisher’s name. For journal articles, include the author’s last name, first initial, publication year in parentheses, the title of the article (not italicized), the title of the journal in italics, the volume number in italics, the issue number in parentheses (if applicable), and the page range of the article. For online sources, include the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) or the URL at the end of the reference. An example reference list is as follows:

References

Johnson, L. M., & Brown, R. T. (2020). The role of telehealth in improving patient outcomes. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 35(2), 123-130. https://doi.org/10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000456

Smith, J. A. (2021). The impact of technology on nursing practice. Health Press.

NRNP 6635 Week 2 Discussion: The Psychiatric Evaluation and Evidence-Based Rating Scales Instructions

Assessment tools have two primary purposes: 1) to measure illness and diagnose clients, and 2) to measure a client’s response to treatment. Often, you will find that multiple assessment tools are designed to measure the same condition or response. Not all tools, however, are appropriate for use in all clinical situations. You must consider the strengths and weaknesses of each tool to select the appropriate assessment tool for your client. For this Discussion, as you examine the assessment tool assigned to you by the Course Instructor, consider its use in psychotherapy.

TO PREPARE:

  • Review this week’s Learning Resources and reflect on the insights they provide regarding psychiatric assessment and diagnosis.
  • Consider the elements of the psychiatric interview, history, and examination.
  • Consider the assessment tool assigned to you by the Course Instructor.

BY DAY 3 OF WEEK 2

Post a brief explanation of three important components of the psychiatric interview and why you consider these elements important. Explain the psychometric properties of the rating scale you were assigned (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7). Explain when it is appropriate to use this rating scale with clients during the psychiatric interview and how the scale is helpful to a nurse practitioner’s psychiatric assessment. Support your approach with evidence-based literature.

Upload a copy of your discussion writing to the draft Turnitin for plagiarism check.  Your faculty holds the academic freedom to not accept your work and grade at a zero if your work is not uploaded as a draft submission to Turnitin as instructed. Have a look at NRNP 6635 Week 3 Assignment: Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Mood Disorders.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.

BY DAY 6 OF WEEK 2

Respond to at least two of your colleagues on 2 different days by comparing your assessment tool to theirs.

Note: For this Discussion, you are required to complete your initial post before you will be able to view and respond to your colleagues’ postings. Begin by clicking on the “Post to Discussion Question” link, and then select “Create Thread” to complete your initial post. Remember, once you click on Submit, you cannot delete or edit your own posts, and you cannot post anonymously. Please check your post carefully before clicking on Submit!

NRNP 6635 Week 2 Discussion: The Psychiatric Evaluation and Evidence-Based Rating Scales Example

The Psychiatric Evaluation and Evidence-Based Rating Scales

 A psychiatric interview refers to a set of tools, questions, and observations that healthcare providers use to complete a psychiatric assessment. Psychiatric nurse practitioners evaluate interventions and practices to ensure they deliver the best care quality and remain relevant in the field. A professional does a psychiatric assessment to aid in diagnosing and managing patients’ psychiatric/mental health. This essay reviews psychiatry interviews and describes and explores the relevance of a valuable test in psychiatry interviews.

A psychiatric interview contains various components, some similar to the routine patient assessment, that aid in data collection. A significant component of a psychiatric interview is history taking. History taking entails determining the chief complaint, which is a short explanation of the reason for the current visit. History taking also entails a history of the present illness, which entails an explanation of the current illness and its characteristics, such as onset, frequency, severity, quality, and aggravating and relieving factors (Carlat, 2017).

History of the present illness is key to patient diagnosis and differential diagnosis. The health history-taking component also entails family and social history. These two components help to identify any associated factors for the possible etiology or manifestation of the condition. Past medical and psychiatric history also helps determine etiologies or initial manifestations that can assist in diagnosing and managing the condition.

The second component of a psychiatric interview is conducting a mental health status and sometimes a physical exam. This component is a vital talking stage that helps care providers diagnose psychiatric symptoms integral to managing mental health disorders (Carlat, 2017). The next step entails developing a differential diagnosis, which entails creating a list of conditions with similar presentations. This stage combines the results of health history taking, mental status exam, and laboratory tests (if any) to rule out or confirm a diagnosis. The last component is developing a treatment plan according to these results. The step requires professionals to use evidence-based interventions and guidelines in managing diseases to develop a treatment plan.

The Quality of Well Being (QWB) is a tool consisting of preference-weighted measures expressing a numerical rate of well-being from 0 to 1.0 for optimal functioning. A ‘quality of life questionnaire’ focuses on three life domains: “mobility, physical activity, and social activity.” According to the American Psychiatric Association, a psychiatric illness must present with a symptom in either the physical, behavioral, or social domain, and the change must affect daily functioning and individual roles significantly (APA, 2022).

The QWB assesses these domains via two versions: self-administered and interviewed. Eskridge et al. (2022) note that the QWB scale assesses symptoms the patient experienced over the last few days and their variations over time. The scale also helps determine their acceptance of the symptoms, hence its relevance in diagnosis and prognosis. Another significance of the scale is that it measures what the patient did in the functional status evaluation, and not potential, hence its relevance in measuring outcomes in severe illnesses over time (Hubens et al., 2018).

Psychiatric/mental health illnesses are associated with deterioration in functional, cognitive, and social status. Thus, the QWB scale is a critical tool for psychiatric nurse practitioners and assists them in detecting changes in function and disease progression. It also helps them determine patients’ responses to treatment (Eskridge et al., 2022). QWB is thus a viable tool in psychiatric interviews and can also be used in a wide variety of conditions (Kaplan & Hays, 2022). Vetting and selecting these tools ensures that nurses utilize the best tools to eliminate unsuitable tools and promote better patient assessment, diagnosis, and prognosis.

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed. https://go.openathens.net/redirector/waldenu.edu?url=https://dsm.psychiatryonline.org/doi/book/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787

Carlat, D. J. (2017). The psychiatric interview (4th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.

Eskridge, S. L., Watrous, J. R., McCabe, C. T., Clouser, M. C., & Galarneau, M. R. (2022). The relationship between self-reported physical functioning, mental health, and quality of life in Service members after combat-related lower extremity amputation. Disability and Rehabilitation, 44(13), 3189-3195. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2020.1863481

Hubens, K., Arons, A. M., & Krol, M. (2018). Measurement and evaluation of the quality of life and well-being in individuals having or having had fertility problems: a systematic review. The European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care, 23(6), 441–450. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-052120-012811

Kaplan, R. M., & Hays, R. D. (2022). Health-related quality of life measurement in public health. Annual Review Of Public Health, 43, 355–373. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-052120-012811