Assessment 4 Instructions: Analyzing a Current Health Care
Problem or Issue
Write a 4-6 page analysis of a current problem or issue in health care, including a proposed solution and possible
ethical implications.
Introduction
In your health care career, you will be confronted with many problems that demand a solution. By using research
skills, you can learn what others are doing and saying about similar problems. Then, you can analyze the problem
and the people and systems it affects. You can also examine potential solutions and their ramifications. This
assessment allows you to practice this approach with a real-world problem.
Instructions
Note: The requirements outlined below correspond to the grading criteria in the scoring guide. At a minimum, be
sure to address each point. In addition, you are encouraged to review the performance-level descriptions for each
criterion to see how your work will be assessed.
1. Describe the health care problem or issue you selected for use in Assessment 2 (from the Assessment Topic
Areas media piece) and provide details about it.
Explore your chosen topic. For this, you should use the first four steps of the Socratic Problem-Solving
Approach to aid your critical thinking. This approach was introduced in Assessment 2.
Identify possible causes for the problem or issue.
2. Use scholarly information to describe and explain the health care problem or issue and identify possible
causes for it.
Identify at least three scholarly or academic peer-reviewed journal articles about the topic.
You may find the How Do I Find Peer-Reviewed Articles? library guide helpful in locating
appropriate references.
You may use articles you found while working on Assessment 2 or you may search the Capella
library for other articles.
You may find the applicable Undergraduate Library Research Guide helpful in your search.
Review the Think Critically About Source Quality to help you complete the following:
Assess the credibility of the information sources.
Assess the relevance of the information sources.
3. Analyze the health care problem or issue.
Describe the setting or context for the problem or issue.
Describe why the problem or issue is important to you.
Identify groups of people affected by the problem or issue.
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Provide examples that support your analysis of the problem or issue.
4. Discuss potential solutions for the health care problem or issue.
Describe what would be required to implement a solution.
Describe potential consequences of ignoring the problem or issue.
Provide the pros and cons for one of the solutions you are proposing.
5. Explain the ethical principles (Beneficence, Nonmaleficence, Autonomy, and Justice) if potential solution was
implemented.
Describe what would be necessary to implement the proposed solution.
Explain the ethical principles that need to be considered (Beneficence, Nonmaleficence, Autonomy,
and Justice) if the potential solution was implemented.
Provide examples from the literature to support the points you are making.
Example Assessment: You may use the following to give you an idea of what a Proficient or higher rating on the
scoring guide would look like:
Assessment 4 Example [PDF].
Additional Requirements
Your assessment should also meet the following requirements:
Length: 4–6 typed, double-spaced pages, not including the title page and reference page.
Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
APA tutorial: Use the APA Style Paper Tutorial [DOCX] for guidance.
Written communication: Write clearly and logically, with correct use of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and
mechanics.
Using outside sources: Integrate information from outside sources into academic writing by appropriately
quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing, following APA style.
References: Integrate information from outside sources to include at least three scholarly or academic peerreviewed journal articles and three in-text citations within the paper.
APA format: Follow current APA guidelines for in-text citations of outside sources in the body of your paper
and also on the reference page.
Organize your paper using the following structure and headings:
Title page. A separate page.
Introduction. A brief one-paragraph statement about the purpose of the paper.
Elements of the problem/issue. Identify the elements of the problem or issue or question.
Analysis. Analyze, define, and frame the problem or issue.
Considering options. Consider solutions, responses, or answers.
Solution. Choose a solution, response, or answer.
Ethical implications. Ethical implications of implementing the solution.
Implementation. Implementation of the potential solution.
Conclusion. One paragraph.
Competencies Measured:
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By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course
competencies and scoring guide criteria:
Competency 1: Apply information literacy and library research skills to obtain scholarly information in the field
of health care.
Use scholarly information to describe and explain a health care problem or issue and identify possible
causes for it.
Competency 2: Apply scholarly information through critical thinking to solve problems in the field of health
care.
Analyze a health care problem or issue by describing the context, explaining why it is important and
identifying populations affected by it.
Discuss potential solutions for a health care problem or issue and describe what would be required to
implement a solution.
Competency 3: Apply ethical principles and academic standards to the study of health care.
Explain the ethical principles (Beneficence, Nonmaleficence, Autonomy, and Justice) if potential
solution was implemented
Competency 4: Write for a specific audience, in appropriate tone and style, in accordance with Capella’s
writing standards.
Write clearly and logically, with correct use of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.
Write following APA style for in-text citations, quotes, and references.
SCORING GUIDE
Use the scoring guide to understand how your assessment will be evaluated.
VIEW SCORING GUIDE
_____________
In this paper, I will analyze a current problem or issue in health care, including a proposed solution and possible ethical implications. The problem I will focus on is the high cost of health care in the United States.
Elements of the Problem
The high cost of health care in the United States is a complex problem with many contributing factors. Some of these factors include:
The aging population. The United States is aging, and as people live longer, they are more likely to need health care services.
The rising cost of medical technology. New medical technologies are constantly being developed, and these technologies can be very expensive.
The increasing complexity of health care. Health care has become increasingly complex, and this has made it more difficult to control costs.
The lack of transparency in the health care system. It can be difficult for patients to understand how much their health care will cost.
Analysis
The high cost of health care has a number of negative consequences. These consequences include:
Financial hardship for patients. Many patients are unable to afford the cost of health care, and this can lead to financial hardship, bankruptcy, and even homelessness.
Reduced access to health care. The high cost of health care can prevent people from getting the health care they need.
Poor health outcomes. The high cost of health care can lead to poor health outcomes, as people are less likely to get preventive care and treatment for chronic diseases.
Considering Options
There are a number of potential solutions to the problem of high health care costs. Some of these solutions include:
Expanding access to health insurance. Expanding access to health insurance would help to reduce the financial burden of health care on patients.
Regulating the cost of medical technology. Regulating the cost of medical technology would help to slow the rise in health care costs.
Making health care more transparent. Making health care more transparent would help patients to understand the cost of their care.
Solution
I believe that the best solution to the problem of high health care costs is to expand access to health insurance. This would help to reduce the financial burden of health care on patients, and it would also help to improve health outcomes.
Ethical Implications
There are a number of ethical implications to consider when expanding access to health insurance. One ethical concern is that it could lead to higher taxes. Another ethical concern is that it could lead to longer wait times for care.
Implementation
There are a number of ways to implement a plan to expand access to health insurance. One way is to create a single-payer system. Another way is to expand Medicaid and Medicare.
Conclusion
The high cost of health care is a serious problem in the United States. There are a number of potential solutions to this problem, but the best solution is to expand access to health insurance. This would help to reduce the financial burden of health care on patients, and it would also help to improve health outcomes.
