Assignment Criteria:

Students will develop a scholarly paper and include the following criteria.

1. Construct the PICOT question: In trach and vented patients, how does maintaining the head of the bed above 45 degrees and oral care help reduce the incidence of healthcare-acquired pneumonia, during the length of stay, compared to patients who are not intubated?

2. Describe the clinical problem related to the PICOT question.

a. Discuss why the problem is important to nursing practice

b. Discuss the chosen intervention

3. Elaborate on how the intervention may impact the stated outcome

4. Discuss two (2) barriers that a master’s prepared nurse might encounter before implementing the intervention.

5. The scholarly paper should be in narrative format, four (4) to five (5) pages excluding the title and reference pages.

6. Include an introductory paragraph, a purpose statement, and a conclusion.

7. Include level 1 and 2 headings to organize the paper.

8. Write the paper in third person, not first person (meaning do not use ‘we’ or ‘I’) and in a scholarly manner. To clarify: I, we, you, me, our may not be used. In addition, describing yourself as the researcher or the author should not be used.

9. Include a minimum of three (3) references from professional peer-reviewed nursing journals to support the paper. References should be from scholarly peer-reviewed journals (review in Ulrich Periodical Directory) and be less than five (5) years old.

10. APA format is required (attention to spelling/grammar, a title page, a reference page, and in-text citations).

Requirements: 4-5 pages