| Course | INHE 4001 Evidenced-Based Practices in Integrative and Holistic Healthcare |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 10 |
| Paper type | Decision case |
| Length | About 550 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | BS in Integrative Health |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for INHE 4001 Week 10
From a Population Finding to One Client: A Decision Case for a 68-Year-Old With Two Years of Back Pain, a Preference for Non-Drug Care and a Worry About Getting Down to the Floor
Student Name
Walden University
INHE 4001: Evidence-Based Practices in Integrative and Holistic Healthcare
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
From a Population Finding to One Client: A Decision Case for a 68-Year-Old With Two Years of Back Pain, a Preference for Non-Drug Care and a Worry About Getting Down to the Floor
The Client
Mrs. Okafor, a composite client, is 68, retired from teaching, and has had low back pain for two years. Her physician found no serious cause and suggested exercise. She wants to avoid pain medication, she enjoys group activities, and she is worried that she will not be able to get down to a yoga mat and back up again. She asks the wellness center whether she should join the new yoga program or the existing stretching class.
What the Evidence Says, and Where It Stops
In adults with long-standing back pain that has no specific cause, back-related function improves modestly with group yoga compared with no added treatment, and yoga does about as well as other exercise (Wieland et al., 2017). A large trial found it noninferior to physical therapy (Saper et al., 2017). But the trials enrolled adults up to about 65, so Mrs. Okafor is just outside the population studied. The evidence probably applies to her in direction, since nothing suggests yoga works differently at 68, but its effect sizes and its risks, especially falls during standing or floor poses, were not measured in people her age.
Applying the Ranking to Her
The term's ranking put the review and the large trials at the top, and their message for Mrs. Okafor is that yoga and stretching are likely to help about equally. That shifts the decision onto the things she cares about: her preference for non-drug care, which both options satisfy; her enjoyment of groups, which both satisfy; and her worry about getting to the floor, which only the format of the class can address.
The Decision, Shared
The center's nurse discussed the options with her using a three-step approach common in shared decision-making: explaining that a choice exists, describing the options and their likely benefits and harms, and helping her decide based on what matters to her (Elwyn et al., 2012). The nurse explained that both classes would probably help her back about the same, that yoga carries a small chance of a temporary flare and that the yoga program offers a chair-based version with no floor work. Mrs. Okafor chose the yoga program in its chair-based form, because she liked the idea of breathing and relaxation as part of the class, and because the chair removed her main fear.
Safeguards for This Client
Because the evidence does not cover her age group, three safeguards apply. The instructor knows to avoid standing balance poses without support. Her function and pain are measured at the start and after 12 weeks, so the center learns whether she benefits. And she is asked after each of the first three classes whether her back felt worse, since flares were the most common harm in the trials.
Does the Ranking Survive?
It does, with one change in emphasis. The ranking told the center that yoga is a reasonable option with modest benefits. For Mrs. Okafor, the same evidence made yoga and stretching close to equal, so her preferences decided the choice. Evidence-based practice expects exactly this combination of research, expertise and client values (Sackett et al., 1996).
References
Elwyn, G., Frosch, D., Thomson, R., Joseph-Williams, N., Lloyd, A., Kinnersley, P., Cording, E., Tomson, D., Dodd, C., Rollnick, S., Edwards, A., & Barry, M. (2012). Shared decision making: A model for clinical practice. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 27(10), 1361-1367. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-012-2077-6
Sackett, D. L., Rosenberg, W. M. C., Gray, J. A. M., Haynes, R. B., & Richardson, W. S. (1996). Evidence based medicine: What it is and what it isn't. BMJ, 312(7023), 71-72. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.312.7023.71
Saper, R. B., Lemaster, C., Delitto, A., Sherman, K. J., Herman, P. M., Sadikova, E., Stevans, J., Keosaian, J. E., Cerrada, C. J., Femia, A. L., Roseen, E. J., Gardiner, P., Gergen Barnett, K., Faulkner, C., & Weinberg, J. (2017). Yoga, physical therapy, or education for chronic low back pain: A randomized noninferiority trial. Annals of Internal Medicine, 167(2), 85-94. https://doi.org/10.7326/M16-2579
Wieland, L. S., Skoetz, N., Pilkington, K., Vempati, R., D'Adamo, C. R., & Berman, B. M. (2017). Yoga treatment for chronic non-specific low back pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2017(1), Article CD010671. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD010671.pub2
Reading the INHE 4001 Week 10 instructions
Decision case assignments ask students to apply evidence about a population to an individual client. Prompts usually describe a client with particular preferences and circumstances and ask whether and how the evidence applies, what option the client should consider and how the decision should be made. Many ask students to use shared decision-making. Instructors look for honest assessment of how well the evidence fits the client, attention to the client's values and safeguards where the evidence does not reach. Cases that apply population findings without checking fit, or that let the practitioner decide for the client, tend to receive less credit. Some prompts let students build the client; others provide one.
How the INHE 4001 Week 10 example is put together
The case describes the client's history, preferences and worry before the evidence. A section summarizes the evidence and explains where it stops for someone her age. A section applies the term's ranking and shows how near-equal options shift the decision to her preferences. A section describes the shared decision conversation in three steps, citing a model of shared decision-making, and reports her choice and its reasons. A section lists safeguards. A final section asks whether the ranking survives and connects the answer to evidence-based practice's three components. The client is a composite, described with enough detail that the decision can be followed. The case runs about two pages. Her reasons for choosing are recorded in plain words. Three safeguards are listed by name.
Reading the INHE 4001 Week 10 rubric
Instructors generally reward an honest fit between evidence and client, and explaining where the trials stop for her age secures a solid share. Showing that near-equal options shift the decision to client preferences earns substantial credit. Describing a shared decision-making process, with a cited model, demonstrates respect for the client. Safeguards matched to the evidence's gaps show careful practice. Asking whether the ranking survives, and answering it, ties the case to the course. Accurate citations for the shared decision-making model, two trials or reviews and the founding article complete the case. Recording the client's own reasons for her choice shows the decision was hers. The safeguards are specific enough to follow.
Common INHE 4001 Week 10 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Describe your client's situation and preferences before you touch the evidence. Ask whether the client resembles the people in the studies, and say where the fit is weak. If the options are similar on the evidence, let the client's values decide. Use a recognized shared decision-making approach and describe the conversation. Add safeguards where the evidence is thin for your client. If applying evidence to one person feels uncertain, a sample case for your own client can show the steps. Record the client's own reasons for the choice in their words. Note where your client falls outside the studied population.
Get a INHE 4001 Week 10 example written to your instructions
The client in your case may differ from the studied population in another way, such as a coexisting condition or a cultural preference, and the case reasons through that difference. Send the prompt, rubric, and case details; the finished case returns in 24-48h, the first free. Mention the practice model your section uses.
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INHE 4001 Week 10 questions, answered
Where can I find a free INHE 4001 Week 10 sample paper?
The decision case for a 68-year-old client appears in full on this page.
Does the yoga evidence apply to a 68-year-old?
Probably in direction, but the trials enrolled adults up to about 65, so size and fall risk are unmeasured.
How was the decision made?
Through a three-step shared decision-making conversation with the center's nurse.
What did the client choose?
A chair-based yoga class, which removed her worry about getting to the floor.
What safeguards were added?
No unsupported standing balance poses, measurements before and after, and checks for flares after early classes.