| Course | NUR 593 Applied Project |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | Project portfolio design paper |
| Length | About 588 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Arizona State University |
| Program | MS in Nursing |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NUR 593 Module 1
What Parents See Before They Go Home: A Project Topic and Answerable Question on Safe Infant Sleep Modeling
Student Name
Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University
NUR 593: Applied Project
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
What Parents See Before They Go Home: A Project Topic and Answerable Question on Safe Infant Sleep Modeling
Selecting the Topic
Each year in the United States about 3,500 infants die of sleep-related causes, including sudden infant death syndrome and accidental suffocation, and the overall rate has changed little since 2000 (Moon et al., 2022). AAP guidance is that babies sleep on their backs on a firm, flat surface, alone in a crib or bassinet with no soft objects or loose bedding, sharing the parents' room but never their bed.
Parents learn about infant sleep in many places, but the first place they watch it modeled is the hospital. When nurses place a newborn on its side to help clear fluid, leave blankets and stuffed animals in the bassinet, or let a sleepy mother doze with the baby on her chest, parents may conclude that these practices are acceptable at home. Quality improvement work in maternity services has found that safe sleep practices are not consistently modeled during the birth hospitalization and that education and audits can improve them (Patterson et al., 2022).
As the educator for a 28-bed mother-baby unit, I chose this topic because it is current, preventable and within my scope. It also fits my role: the main levers are nurse knowledge, unit routines and feedback, all of which an educator can influence.
Evidence of the Problem on My Unit
To see whether the issue applied locally, I completed an informal walk-through audit of 30 bassinets during sleep over two weeks, using the elements of the AAP recommendations. Only 9 of 30 infants, or 30%, were in a fully safe sleep environment. The most common problems were extra blankets or items in the bassinet (14 of 30), infants positioned on the side (6 of 30), and infants asleep in the parent's bed (4 of 30). These findings resemble those from a large maternity service in which audits found frequent unsafe conditions despite high staff knowledge (Stone et al., 2023).
Problem Statement
On our mother-baby unit, fewer than one in three sleeping infants are observed in a sleep environment that matches AAP recommendations, which means parents regularly see unsafe practices modeled by staff before discharge.
Answerable Question
Using the PICOT format:
The question: Among registered nurses on a mother-baby unit (P), does a safe sleep education module with weekly crib audits and feedback (I), compared with current practice (C), increase the percentage of sleeping infants observed in a fully safe sleep environment (O) over 12 weeks (T)?
| Element | Question component |
|---|---|
| Population | Registered nurses on a 28-bed mother-baby unit and the newborns in their care |
| Intervention | A safe sleep education module for nurses plus weekly crib audits with unit feedback |
| Comparison | Current practice without structured education or audits |
| Outcome | Share of sleeping infants found in a sleep space that meets every AAP element |
| Time | 12 weeks |
Why the Question Is Answerable and Feasible
The question is answerable because each element is observable and measurable with a simple audit tool, and the literature includes several projects testing similar interventions. It is feasible because it requires no new equipment, uses nurse time already set aside for annual education, and can be carried out by the educator with the unit's practice council. A secondary outcome, nurses' safe sleep knowledge, can be measured with a short pre and post test.
Next Steps
The next portfolio assignment will search for and appraise the evidence on hospital safe sleep interventions to confirm whether education plus audits is the strongest approach for this setting.
References
Moon, R. Y., Carlin, R. F., Hand, I., & Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and the Committee on Fetus and Newborn. (2022). Sleep-related infant deaths: Updated 2022 recommendations for reducing infant deaths in the sleep environment. Pediatrics, 150(1), e2022057990. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2022-057990
Patterson, K. J., Adams, E. D., & Ramieh, C. (2022). Infant safe sleep initiative in a small volume maternity service. MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, 47(4), 189-194. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMC.0000000000000836
Stone, G., Chase, A., Vidrine, D. C., Singleton, W. W., Kitto, L., Laborde, K., Harper, J., & Sutton, E. F. (2023). Safe newborn sleep practices on a large volume maternity service. MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, 48(1), 43-47. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMC.0000000000000879
What the NUR 593 Module 1 instructions ask for
The posted syllabus opens the applied project with Course Module 1, Design, in Weeks 2 and 3, covering first steps, selecting a topic and formulating an answerable question, and grades Assignment 1, Project Topic and Answerable Question, as part of the project portfolio. Design is worth 7 of 100 points, and the course requires at least 80% on each of the five portfolio components to pass. Expect the assignment to ask for a topic linked to a current practice issue, evidence that the problem matters, a one-sentence problem statement and a PICOT-style question. Confirm the template and length in Canvas before you begin.
How this NUR 593 Module 1 example is built
The paper moves in the order a reader needs: why the topic matters nationally, why it matters on this unit, the problem in one sentence, the question and why it can be answered. National figures come from the AAP policy statement, and a small local audit makes the problem concrete. The PICOT elements are laid out in a table before the full question is written as a sentence, which makes each component easy to check. A feasibility section addresses time, resources and the writer's role, and the closing points ahead to the evidence review. The writer also explains how the topic fits her role, which answers a question faculty often raise early: whether the student has the authority to carry the project out.
NUR 593 Module 1 rubric: what earns full marks
Design assignments are typically graded on the relevance and significance of the topic, a clearly stated problem, a well-formed answerable question with all PICOT elements, and evidence that the project is feasible in the student's setting, along with APA style. Faculty look for questions narrow enough to answer in a short project and outcomes that can actually be measured. Local data, even a small audit, show the problem exists where the project will happen. A topic matched to the student's role and track is often noted favorably. Because later assignments build on this question, faculty feedback here often shapes the whole portfolio, so revising the question after comments is common and worthwhile.
NUR 593 Module 1 help with common mistakes
Questions that are too broad, such as whether education improves infant outcomes, are the usual problem. Narrow the population, intervention and outcome to what you can measure. Another is choosing a topic you cannot influence from your role. Avoid outcomes that take years to appear, such as mortality. Write the PICOT elements separately before combining them. Gather a little local data if you can. If you want help shaping your topic into an answerable question, send your idea and setting to the desk. Avoid writing the question around a solution you already prefer. Let the comparison be fair, so the evidence review in the next assignment can genuinely test it.
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 593 Module 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free NUR 593 Module 1 sample paper?
The project topic and answerable question are shown above in full: safe infant sleep modeling on a mother-baby unit, national and local data, a problem statement, a PICOT question and a feasibility check, with references.
What is the first NUR 593 assignment?
The syllabus lists Assignment 1, Project Portfolio: Project Topic and Answerable Question, in Weeks 2 and 3 under Design.
How do I write a PICOT question for NUR 593?
Name the population, intervention, comparison, measurable outcome and time frame, then combine them into one question you could answer with your project.
How many points is the NUR 593 Design component?
The syllabus lists Design at 7 of 100 points, and students must earn at least 80% on each portfolio component.
How do I know if my NUR 593 topic is feasible?
Check that you can influence it from your role, measure the outcome in weeks rather than years, and carry it out without new funding.