DQ 2 : Name at least one technology that could improve the implementation process and the outcomes of your capstone project change proposal
The second half of the prompt is the interesting one: will you actually use it, and if not, why not. A student capstone rarely commands an IT budget, and the barrier analysis is the answer rather than an excuse.
Editorial process
Last reviewed · August 18, 2026
One technology, and an honest answer about whether you will use it
Pick a technology that touches your specific intervention rather than one that sounds impressive. If your change proposal is a fall-prevention bundle, the candidates are a bed exit alarm, an EHR flowsheet field that forces a risk score at each shift, a dashboard that shows the unit's fall rate weekly, or a text reminder to families. Each does a different job. Some technologies support implementation by making the new behaviour easier or harder to skip; others support measurement by generating the outcome data your project needs at the end. Say which of those two jobs yours does, because they are frequently confused and a post that claims a dashboard will improve adherence has skipped the step where somebody looks at it and does something. Name the mechanism: what does the technology change about what a nurse does at the bedside on a Tuesday night? Answering that question first also stops the post drifting into a general account of technology in health care.
Then answer the second question honestly. Most RN-to-BSN capstone projects do not get to deploy new technology, and the prompt anticipates that by asking about barriers. The real ones are worth naming precisely: capital cost and who holds that budget; IT governance, which usually means a build request queue measured in months; interoperability with an EHR the organisation licenses rather than owns; information security and privacy review; training time on a unit already short of hours; and the plain fact that a student project has no procurement authority. Choose two or three and say what would have to be true for each to fall — a pilot licence, an existing field repurposed rather than built, a workflow change that needs no build at all. That last move is the strongest, because finding the version of your technology that requires no IT ticket is what a preceptor would actually advise.
Likely learning objectives
- Distinguish technology that supports implementation from technology that supports measurement.
- Describe the mechanism by which a technology changes bedside behaviour.
- Identify realistic organisational barriers to deploying it in a student project.
- Propose a lower-friction version of the same intervention.
Assignment instructions
Read the full question
Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.
NRS 493 Topic 5 DQ 2 DQ 2 : Name at least one technology that could improve the implementation process and the outcomes of your capstone project change proposal Technology is integral to successful implementation in many projects, through either support or integration or both. Name at least one technology that could improve the implementation process and the outcomes of your capstone project change proposal. Do you plan to use this technology? If not, what are the barriers that prevent its use?
Turn the brief into deliverables
- 01One named technology, specific to your intervention.
- 02The job it does — implementation support, measurement, or both.
- 03A mechanism stated at the level of what a nurse does.
- 04An honest answer about whether you will use it.
- 05Two or three concrete barriers, with what would have to change.
The technology, its mechanism, then the barrier question
The technology and the intervention it serves
Name a specific tool tied to your change proposal.
What the assessor is likely looking for
A named tool rather than a category such as 'mobile health'.
Implementation support or measurement?
Classify what the technology actually does for the project.
What the assessor is likely looking for
The distinction drawn, with the chosen job justified.
The mechanism at the bedside
Describe what changes in a nurse's actual shift.
What the assessor is likely looking for
A behaviour change, not a capability statement.
Will you use it, and what stops you
Answer honestly and name the organisational barriers.
What the assessor is likely looking for
Barriers beyond cost — governance, interoperability, security, training.
The version that needs no build
Propose a lower-friction alternative achieving part of the effect.
What the assessor is likely looking for
An alternative that a unit could adopt without a project ticket.
Evidence on health technology adoption and its obstacles
Recommended databases
- PubMed Central
- CINAHL Complete
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
- Implementation Science
Search sequence
- 1.Read a diffusion-of-innovation study on health technology adoption readiness.
- 2.Find evidence on electronic health record data used for nursing outcomes.
- 3.Look for a sustainability study that names implementation barriers explicitly.
- 4.Check whether your outcome could be measured from data the organisation already collects.
Reference shortlist
These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.
Assessing E-Health adoption readiness using diffusion of innovation theory
International Health · 2022
Diffusion of innovation applied to e-health adoption readiness — a framework for the barrier analysis.
Challenges using electronic nursing routine data for outcome analyses: A mixed methods study
PubMed Central · 2022
Challenges in using electronic nursing routine data for outcome analysis; the measurement half, documented.
Addressing critical barriers for sustainability of asthma stock inhaler policy implementation and results
Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology · 2024
A sustainability study naming the critical barriers to keeping an implemented policy running.
A refined compilation of implementation strategies: results from the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) project
Implementation Science (via PubMed Central) · 2015
The implementation strategy taxonomy, for classifying what your technology is meant to do.
Closing the "Techquity" Gap: Ensuring Equitable Access to Patient Portals
PubMed Central · 2024
Equitable access to patient portals — a reminder that technology adoption is unevenly distributed among patients.
Review before submission
Common mistakes
- Naming a technology category rather than a specific tool.
- Claiming a dashboard changes behaviour without naming who acts on it.
- Answering 'yes I will use it' when the project has no procurement route.
- Listing cost as the only barrier and skipping governance and interoperability.
Submission checklist
- Does your technology attach to your actual intervention?
- Have you said whether it supports doing the work or measuring it?
- Is the mechanism described at bedside level?
- Is your answer about using it honest about your authority?
- Have you proposed a version that needs no IT build?
Use this guide to plan and review your own work. Follow your institution's rules and read Brinevia's academic-integrity policy.
Written by
Maren Caldwell
MSN, RN, CNE
Medical-surgical nursing, pharmacology and NCLEX preparation
Maren is a registered nurse with over 15 years of clinical and educational experience in medical-surgical nursing. She writes on NCLEX preparation, patient care fundamentals, pharmacology and evidence-based practice.
Reviewed by
Dr. Tessa Redmond
DNP, RN, CNE
Evidence-based practice and clinical education
Tessa is a doctorally-prepared nurse educator. She reviews Brinevia content for clinical accuracy and alignment with current evidence-based guidelines.