NUR 550 Module 1 Discussion Example

Reviewed by Delia Ravenscroft, MSN, RN

This NUR 550 Module 1 Discussion sample shows how to turn a problem nurses complain about into one that can be studied and changed. It belongs to the opening discussion in SNHU NUR 550, Evidence-Based Practice and Scholarly Inquiry, the MSN course that SNHU numbers NUR-550. Written from the view of a composite charge nurse on a 30-bed medical unit, it starts with the night shift's most familiar scene: an older patient, clear-headed at admission, now confused, frightened and pulling at an IV line. The post describes what the unit already knows, including a three-month audit in which about one older patient in six developed delirium, and argues that the problem is common, costly and under-recognized. It notes that the strongest evidence points to prevention through several simple measures rather than medicine, which makes it a good candidate for translation. It ends by asking classmates how their units detect delirium.

CourseNUR 550 Evidence-Based Practice and Scholarly Inquiry
ModuleModule 1
Paper typeDiscussion post framing a practice problem for inquiry
LengthAbout 360 words, 3 pages
FormatAPA 7 student paper
SchoolSouthern New Hampshire University
ProgramMSN
UpdatedSeptember 2026

Free sample paper for NUR 550 Module 1

1

Module One Discussion

Clear at Admission, Confused by Night Three

Every night nurse on my unit, a 30-bed adult medicine floor, knows the pattern. An 82-year-old comes in with pneumonia, oriented and polite. By the third night the patient is pulling at the IV, trying to climb over the rails and calling for someone long dead. We say the patient is sundowning, give something to help them sleep and move on to the next call light. What we rarely say is that the patient has developed delirium, and that it may have been preventable.

Delirium, a sudden breakdown in attention and thinking, is common in older hospitalized adults, serious, costly and often missed, and it is associated with death, longer stays and loss of independence (Inouye et al., 2014). When our unit's educator reviewed three months of charts for patients 70 and older, 18 of 110 had documented episodes of acute confusion after admission, about one in six, and seven of the unit's eleven falls in that period involved a confused patient. Those figures are almost certainly low, since no one was screening systematically.

What this page is doingThe post opens with a scene every nurse recognizes, names the problem precisely and adds local data, which is how a practice problem becomes a project.
2

Three things make this a good problem for an evidence-based project. It matters to patients and to the unit's own measures, including falls. It happens under our control, during the stay, not before admission. And the evidence suggests that prevention works best through several simple, non-drug measures, such as keeping patients oriented, mobile, hydrated, sleeping well and able to see and hear, while no convincing evidence supports drugs to prevent it (Inouye et al., 2014). A Cochrane review found that multicomponent programs probably cut the incidence of delirium from about 18% to about 11% in hospitalized patients outside intensive care (Burton et al., 2021), and a meta-analysis of the Hospital Elder Life Program reported fewer falls as well (Hshieh et al., 2018). That means the solution is largely nursing work, which is exactly what our unit can change.

My first step is to find out what our unit does now and what the best evidence recommends, and to turn the problem into a question specific enough to search.

For classmates: how does your unit detect delirium, and is anyone using a validated screening tool?

What this page is doingThe post explains why the problem suits an evidence-based project, cites a review for the key evidence, states a next step and closes with a practical question.
3

References

Burton, J. K., Craig, L. E., Yong, S. Q., Siddiqi, N., Teale, E. A., Woodhouse, R., Barugh, A. J., Shepherd, A. M., Brunton, A., Freeman, S. C., Sutton, A. J., & Quinn, T. J. (2021). Non-pharmacological interventions for preventing delirium in hospitalised non-ICU patients. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2021(7), Article CD013307. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD013307.pub2

Hshieh, T. T., Yang, T., Gartaganis, S. L., Yue, J., & Inouye, S. K. (2018). Hospital Elder Life Program: Systematic review and meta-analysis of effectiveness. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 26(10), 1015-1033. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2018.06.007

Inouye, S. K., Westendorp, R. G. J., & Saczynski, J. S. (2014). Delirium in elderly people. The Lancet, 383(9920), 911-922. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60688-1

What the NUR 550 Module 1 instructions ask for

NUR 550 generally opens by asking each student to name a problem from their own practice that evidence might help solve. The prompt tends to want four things: why the problem matters, what shows it is happening where you work, who it affects and why an evidence-based project is the right way to tackle it. A scholarly citation is expected in the first post, with responses to peers due later in the week, and first posts usually land between 250 and 500 words. Pick a problem you can live with for ten weeks and one your manager would also like solved, because the question, search, appraisal and plan in later modules usually build on it, and switching topics midway costs both time and marks.

How this NUR 550 Module 1 discussion example is built

The sample post frames delirium among older patients on a composite medical unit as a practice problem. It opens with the familiar night-shift scene and the unit's usual response, then defines delirium with a current review and adds local audit figures: about one older patient in six with acute confusion and most falls involving confused patients, both likely undercounted. It explains three reasons the problem suits an evidence-based project, including that prevention is largely nursing work, states the next step and asks classmates how their units detect delirium. Three real sources support the claims, a clinical review, a Cochrane review and a program meta-analysis, and the post leaves room for later modules to add depth.

Where the NUR 550 Module 1 rubric puts the points

Instructors marking this first discussion usually look for the significance of the problem, evidence that it exists in the setting, use of a scholarly source, clarity and engagement with peers. Significance earns full credit when you connect the problem to patient outcomes and to measures your organization cares about. Local evidence, even a small audit or an observation, is more persuasive than general statistics alone. A scholarly citation should support your key claim, not decorate it. Replies to classmates score best when they help sharpen someone else's problem, for example by suggesting data they could collect or a question they could ask. Timeliness is usually graded separately, so post the first response early.

NUR 550 Module 1 help: the mistakes that cost points

First posts often lose points by naming a problem too broad to study, such as patient safety, by giving no evidence that it happens locally or by jumping straight to a solution. Name a specific problem in a specific population, add whatever local data you have, cite a review on why it matters and explain why it suits an evidence-based approach. Leave the solution open, since the course will lead you to it through the evidence. End with a question that invites useful replies. Check that your problem is one you can observe on your own unit over the term. If framing it is proving hard, a first post and two replies can be drafted around your setting for you to adapt.

Get NUR 550 Module 1 written to your instructions

Share this week's prompt and two or three sentences about the problem on your unit. A first post that frames the problem for inquiry, with local detail and a scholarly source, is ready in 24 to 48 hours, and the first one is free. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Southern New Hampshire University document.

Request this module free All NUR 550 modules

More NUR 550 papers and related MSN samples

NUR 550 Module 1 questions, answered

Where can I find a free NUR 550 Module 1 Discussion sample?

The complete post on this page is free to read: delirium among older patients on a composite medical unit framed as a practice problem, with local audit data, a review on why it matters and a question for classmates.

How do I choose a practice problem for NUR 550?

Pick a specific problem in a defined population that happens under your unit's control, matters to patients and can be studied for the whole term.

Why is delirium a good evidence-based practice topic?

It is common and harmful in older inpatients, often missed, and prevention relies largely on non-drug nursing measures that a unit can change.

Do I need local data in my first post?

It helps a great deal. Even a small audit, incident count or observation shows the problem exists where you work.

Should I propose a solution in Module 1?

Not yet. Describe the problem and why it matters, and let the question, search and appraisal in later modules lead you to the solution.