As a registered nurse practitioner (NP) working to meet the needs of the community, it is necessary to address the problem of substance misuse in each subset of the population. Achieving this objective requires the NP to have a good understanding of the clinical practice guideline and the capacity to apply them in practice (Gaur et al., 2019). This paper provides a comprehensive critical appraisal of a clinical practice guideline available for NPs to apply in addressing the problem of substance misuse among adolescents in a community. The question of interest in the practice is set based on the PICO model, where the population of interest (P) is the adolescents involved in substance misuse, intervention (I) is web-based motivation intervention, compared to those receiving screening alone (C) to achieve to reduce the prevalence of the problem (O).

Critical Appraisal

The provided clinical practice guideline has a number of strengths that make it appropriate and effective for working with adolescents as a motivational intervention to help reduce the prevalence of substance abuse. First, this guideline provides for ethical considerations specific to children and adolescents, which is important because the group consists of young people whose decision-making capacity is still developing (Gaur et al., 2019). Secondly, the guideline considers the specific treatment needs that the NP should decide on based on certain features. It states that inpatient treatment should only be considered for those with severe dependence and a longer duration of misuse. Consequently, it allows the NPs to work with the clients within their communities and avoid hospitalization as much as possible. Third, the guideline states that outpatient treatment, duration, and frequency of sessions need to vary depending on the characteristics of the specific patient (Gaur et al., 2019). Therefore, it ensures that the practice and care are patient-centered and oriented to the individual and not the general population.

Based on this review, it can be concluded that the guideline is effective and specific to the population of interest, the intervention, comparison, and expected outcomes. The implication is that the guideline is designed in such a way that it can address the PICOT question and will help the NPs achieve the expected outcomes. In addition, it strictly follows the ethical codes necessary when working with minors in a clinical setting.

Reference

Gaur, N., Gautam, M., Singh, S., Raju, V. V., & Sarkar, S. (2019). Clinical practice guidelines on assessment and management of substance abuse disorder in children and adolescents. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 61(Suppl S2), 333-349.