| Course | NUR 501 Individual and Innovation Leadership in Health Care |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 7 |
| Paper type | Innovation in practice paper |
| Length | About 945 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Arizona State University |
| Program | MS in Nursing |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NUR 501 Module 7
A Text at 72 Hours: Proposing and Implementing Two-Way Post-Discharge Text Check-Ins on a Cardiac Step-Down Unit
Student Name
Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University
NUR 501: Individual and Innovation Leadership in Health Care
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
A Text at 72 Hours: Proposing and Implementing Two-Way Post-Discharge Text Check-Ins on a Cardiac Step-Down Unit
The Innovation
Patients leaving our 32-bed cardiac step-down unit often have new medications, activity limits and follow-up appointments. Many call the unit with questions in the first days, and some return to the emergency department with problems that could have been addressed earlier. The innovation is a two-way text message sent 72 hours after discharge asking three short questions: Are you taking your new medicines as prescribed? Do you have your follow-up appointment? Do you have any new symptoms or questions? Replies are routed to a secure inbox monitored by the unit's discharge nurse during day shift, who calls patients whose answers suggest a problem. The idea came from the hospital's nurse innovation challenge, where a team of step-down nurses pitched it.
Evidence Supporting the Innovation
Text messaging has been tested in cardiac patients. In a randomized trial of 710 patients with coronary heart disease, lifestyle-focused text messages over six months were associated with lower LDL cholesterol, systolic blood pressure and body mass index, more physical activity and less smoking compared with usual care, and most participants found the messages useful and easy to understand (Chow et al., 2015). That trial used one-way educational messages rather than two-way check-ins, so it does not prove our design will improve outcomes, but it shows that patients with heart disease accept and respond to text messages. Our innovation adds a nurse response, which addresses the gap between information and action.
Organizational Characteristics
The Week 6 assessment found that the hospital has a strong safety culture, formal shared governance and high readiness for leader-chosen change, but weak paths and resources for staff-generated innovation (Weiner, 2009). The innovation challenge partly addresses that gap by giving the team protected time and a small budget. Other characteristics matter for this project: the hospital already uses a secure patient messaging platform for appointment reminders, which the information technology department can configure for check-ins, and the patient experience office is interested in post-discharge contact.
Implementation Strategies
Implementation will follow a small test of change before any expansion. Stakeholders include the step-down nursing staff, the discharge nurse, cardiology, pharmacy, information technology, patient experience and compliance. Steps are as follows. First, configure the three-question message in English and Spanish on the existing platform and obtain compliance approval for message content. Second, at discharge, nurses explain the check-in and confirm the patient's mobile number and consent, documented in a single field. Third, the discharge nurse reviews replies each weekday morning and calls patients with problems, escalating to the cardiology clinic when needed. Fourth, the team meets every two weeks during an eight-week test to review issues and adjust. Change strategies from earlier in the course apply: the innovation was designed with step-down nurses, conflict over workload is anticipated, and a small test limits risk.
Outcome Measurement
Outcome measures: the percentage of patients with a scheduled follow-up appointment at seven days, and emergency department visits within 14 days of discharge, compared with the eight weeks before the test. Process measures: the percentage of eligible patients enrolled at discharge, the response rate to the check-in, and the percentage of problem replies called back within one business day. Balancing measures: discharge nurse time spent on check-ins each day and any privacy incidents. Patient feedback will be gathered with one added question on the post-discharge survey.
Sustainability
Sustainability depends on ownership, workload and value. The discharge nurse role will own the inbox, with a backup nurse named each day. If response volume exceeds about 30 minutes a day, the team will adjust the questions or limit enrollment to higher-risk patients. Results will be reported to the unit council and nursing practice council; if outcomes improve, the team will propose adding the check-in to the standard discharge order set and expanding it to other cardiac units. Training will be added to unit orientation.
Anticipated Barriers and Ethical Considerations
Several barriers are likely. Some patients, especially older adults, may not use text messaging; they will be offered a phone call instead, so the innovation does not widen gaps in access. Language barriers are addressed with Spanish messages, and other languages will be added if demand appears. Privacy is the most important ethical concern. Messages will contain no clinical details, will be sent only through the hospital's secure platform, and will be sent only to patients who consent at discharge. The discharge nurse's workload is a practical barrier; the balancing measure on her time will show whether the check-in displaces other work. Finally, physicians may worry about nurses giving advice by phone, so the call-back script will focus on clarifying instructions and connecting patients to the cardiology clinic rather than changing treatment.
Individual Capacity
My Week 4 self-assessment found that I am strong at noticing problems and building trust but limited in experimenting and advocacy. This project tests both gaps. I will sponsor the small test, which requires me to accept that it may not work, and I will present results at the leadership meeting, which requires me to advocate. Hackathon-style events have been associated with greater confidence among nurses who take part (Kagan et al., 2023), and leading an idea from that event through implementation is how I plan to build my own.
Conclusion
A text at 72 hours is a small innovation with a clear purpose: catching problems after discharge before they become emergencies. Supported by evidence that cardiac patients engage with text messages, implemented through a small, measured test and owned by the unit, it can show whether a simple tool improves follow-up for our patients and build the hospital's capacity for nurse-led innovation.
References
Chow, C. K., Redfern, J., Hillis, G. S., Thakkar, J., Santo, K., Hackett, M. L., Jan, S., Graves, N., de Keizer, L., Barry, T., Bompoint, S., Stepien, S., Whittaker, R., Rodgers, A., & Thiagalingam, A. (2015). Effect of lifestyle-focused text messaging on risk factor modification in patients with coronary heart disease: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA, 314(12), 1255-1263. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2015.10945
Kagan, O., Sciasci, N. G., Koszalinski, R. S., Kagan, D. H., Leary, M., & Nadel, H. (2023). Nurses' confidence in starting a new venture, startup or project in the context of nurse-led hackathons: Results of prehackathon survey. Nursing Outlook, 71(3), 101961. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2023.101961
Weiner, B. J. (2009). A theory of organizational readiness for change. Implementation Science, 4, 67. https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-4-67
Reading the NUR 501 Module 7 assignment instructions
The posted syllabus places the Innovation in Practice paper in Week 7, which applies information from all previous modules to a proposed innovation or change in health care practice, under the outcome of examining how innovation can improve patient outcomes. The syllabus describes the paper as scholarly work exploring implementation of an innovation in practice, including a description of the innovation, organizational characteristics, strategies for implementation, outcome measurement, sustainability and individual capacity. As the last of four written assignments, it often builds on your earlier papers. Confirm in Canvas the headings, page limit and source count, and whether the innovation must come from your own setting.
How the NUR 501 Module 7 example is put together
The paper moves through the six elements named in the syllabus, each under its own heading. It describes a specific innovation and where it came from, summarizes a randomized trial with its design and findings while noting how it differs from the proposal, and draws on the earlier organizational assessment. Implementation is set out in numbered steps with stakeholders and a small test. Outcome, process and balancing measures are listed separately. Sustainability addresses ownership and workload, and a section on individual capacity links back to the writer's self-assessment. The conclusion restates the purpose briefly. A section on barriers and ethics addresses access, language, privacy and scope of practice before they become objections.
Where the marks sit in the NUR 501 Module 7 rubric
Faculty commonly score the final paper on coverage of every required element, the strength and accuracy of the evidence, the feasibility of implementation, the quality of the measurement plan, attention to sustainability, and honest reflection on individual capacity, with APA writing. Graders look for integration of earlier course work, such as the organizational assessment and self-assessment, which shows synthesis. Measures should include more than one type. Overstating evidence, for example claiming a trial proves a different intervention works, usually costs points on accuracy. Faculty also look for a plan that a real unit could start within weeks, with named owners and dates. Attention to privacy and consent is expected whenever patient contact is involved.
NUR 501 Module 7 help with common mistakes
A frequent weakness is an innovation described in detail with little about how it would be implemented or measured. Give each required element its own section. Another mistake is using evidence from a related but different intervention without noting the difference. Name balancing measures, such as staff time, as well as outcomes. Address who will own the innovation after the test. Link to your earlier assignments where possible. If you would like help building an innovation in practice paper around your own idea, send the prompt and your earlier papers to the desk. Run your measures past the person who would collect the data to make sure they are practical. Keep the innovation small enough to test within a few months.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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NUR 501 Module 7 questions, answered
Where can I find a free NUR 501 Module 7 sample paper?
The Innovation in Practice paper is on this page in full: two-way text check-ins after cardiac discharge, the evidence, organizational fit, implementation steps, measures, sustainability, individual capacity and references.
What elements does the NUR 501 Innovation in Practice paper need?
The syllabus lists a description of the innovation, organizational characteristics, implementation strategies, outcome measurement, sustainability and individual capacity.
Can my NUR 501 innovation be small?
Yes. A small, specific innovation that can be tested and measured is often stronger than a large, vague one.
How do I measure an innovation in NUR 501?
Include outcome measures, process measures that show the innovation happened, and balancing measures for unintended effects such as staff time.
Should the NUR 501 final paper connect to earlier assignments?
It helps. Drawing on your organizational assessment and self-assessment shows the synthesis the final week is designed for.