Developing an Evaluation Plan: Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Developing an Evaluation Plan
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Introduction
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a condition which affects 18 million adults in the United States (Greensburg et al., 2009). This condition is characterized by a very inconsistent breathing pattern during an individual’s sleep whereby breathing stops for quite a while and starts again (Chung et al., 2008). This condition is caused by a blockage in the airways which results in a very uncomfortable situation before regular breathing resumes. To solve this problem, most patients use Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) (Rennotte et al., 2005). However, the non-surgical procedure is quite uncomfortable and most patients are reluctant to utilize it. My proposal is to use surgical procedures such as uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) or UP3 or maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) to manage OSA. The objective of this essay is to discuss the methods which should be used to evaluate the effectiveness of my proposed solution and variables to be assessed when evaluating project outcomes.
Methods
Follow Ups
After the surgical procedure has been implemented, it is essential to conduct follow ups on the patients who receive the surgical treatment. Tracking the patients’ recovery stages is probably the best method to evaluate the proposed solution since the main goal is to offer patients a better state of wellbeing (Gupta et al., 2001). Follow ups especially for the first group of patients will be very important because it will provide physicians with insight regarding whether to modify the treatment procedures or the educational material for patients and staffs (Sher, 2002).
Furthermore, the follow up process needs to be held in stages whereby after a specified time, the treatment center will call or send patients a questionnaire. The first stage needs to be after three months, the second after 6 months and then after 12 months (Riley et al., 1997). It is also important to have long term follow ups since such feedback from patients can give insight to underlying issues which patients and physicians need to prepare for.
Employee Assessment
According to my proposal, the action plan will require a substantial financial investment amounting to $100,000. Of this amount, $32,000 will be used for educational purposes especially for the staff. While most of it will go to educating the staff regarding the change, some of the money will go to educational tools for prospective patients. Since the investment is significant to the proposal it is very necessary to continually assess employee competence since there has to be visual change which justifies the financial investment (Kribbs et al., 2003).
Variables to Assess
Follow Ups
The follow up process has to begin with presenting a questionnaire to the recovering patients. The questionnaire will concentrate on the patient’s quality of sleep, the patient’s stress levels, the patient’s ability to speak and eat at the same time, and the patient’s health in general. Such variables will determine the effectiveness of the proposed surgical treatment and the rate of the recovery process (Chung et al., 2008). Another important aspect of exploring these variables is the...