| Course | NURS 6001 Foundations of Graduate Study |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 9 |
| Paper type | Three-source synthesis |
| Length | About 560 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NURS 6001 Week 9
Three-Source Synthesis: Early Mobility and Function in Hospitalized Older Adults
Student Name
College of Nursing, Walden University
NURS 6001: Foundations of Graduate Study
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Three-Source Synthesis: Early Mobility and Function in Hospitalized Older Adults
Do early mobility programs reduce functional decline in hospitalized older adults? This synthesis draws on three sources: a randomized trial of a walking program for older veterans (Brown et al., 2016), a randomized trial of multicomponent exercise for very old inpatients (Martínez-Velilla et al., 2019), and an account of how a hospital walking program was spread to new hospitals (Hastings et al., 2018).
Function During and After the Stay
The two trials agree that mobility programs protect older adults against some of the functional loss that usually accompanies a hospital stay, although they found benefit on different measures (Brown et al., 2016; Martínez-Velilla et al., 2019). In the Spanish trial, whose 370 participants averaged 87 years of age, twice-daily individualized resistance, balance and walking exercise improved physical performance and independence in daily activities at discharge compared with usual care, with no adverse effects observed (Martínez-Velilla et al., 2019). In the trial of 100 veterans aged 65 and older, assisted walking up to twice a day did not change the ability to perform daily activities, but one month after discharge the walking group had kept its community mobility while the usual-care group had lost ground (Brown et al., 2016). Hastings et al. (2018) begin from the same premise, that immobility in hospital contributes to deconditioning and functional loss. Read together, the sources suggest that walking alone may protect how far people move in their lives after discharge, while more intensive, multicomponent exercise may be needed to improve measured function during the stay itself.
Feasibility Where Staff Are Limited
The sources diverge on how easily such programs fit into ordinary hospital care. Both trials delivered their interventions reliably under research conditions, twice daily for most patients (Brown et al., 2016; Martínez-Velilla et al., 2019). Hastings et al. (2018), describing the spread of a supervised walking program to four new hospitals, note that such programs are not widely available in U.S. hospitals and that each site had to adapt the program's delivery to its own staffing and local conditions while keeping its core components. The difference probably reflects setting rather than contradiction: trials protect time and staff for the intervention, while real units must fit it among competing tasks. The trials show what the programs can achieve; the implementation account shows what it takes to keep them running.
Conclusion
For bedside practice, the sources support walking older inpatients at least daily as a low-risk way to limit functional decline, with the strongest benefits likely when walking is combined with strength and balance work. They leave a gap: none tests a program delivered entirely by existing nursing staff on a typical medical unit without extra personnel, which is the question most nurses would need answered before adopting it.
Synthesis Matrix
Table 1
Sources by Design, Sample, Finding and Theme
| Source | Design | Sample | Main finding | Themes fed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown et al. (2016) | Single-blind randomized clinical trial | 100 veterans aged 65+, one medical center | No difference in daily activities; community mobility maintained at 1 month | Function; feasibility |
| Martínez-Velilla et al. (2019) | Single-blind randomized clinical trial | 370 inpatients, mean age 87, one hospital | Better physical performance and independence at discharge; no adverse effects | Function; feasibility |
| Hastings et al. (2018) | Program description and implementation account | Walking program spread to four hospitals | Core components kept; delivery adapted to local staffing | Function (premise); feasibility |
References
Brown, C. J., Foley, K. T., Lowman, J. D., MacLennan, P. A., Razjouyan, J., Najafi, B., Locher, J., & Allman, R. M. (2016). Comparison of posthospitalization function and community mobility in hospital mobility program and usual care patients: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Internal Medicine, 176(7), 921-927. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.1870
Hastings, S. N., Choate, A. L., Mahanna, E. P., Floegel, T. A., Allen, K. D., Van Houtven, C. H., & Wang, V. (2018). Early mobility in the hospital: Lessons learned from the STRIDE program. Geriatrics, 3(4), Article 61. https://doi.org/10.3390/geriatrics3040061
Martínez-Velilla, N., Casas-Herrero, A., Zambom-Ferraresi, F., Sáez de Asteasu, M. L., Lucia, A., Galbete, A., García-Baztán, A., Alonso-Renedo, J., González-Glaría, B., Gonzalo-Lázaro, M., Apezteguía Iráizoz, I., Gutiérrez-Valencia, M., Rodríguez-Mañas, L., & Izquierdo, M. (2019). Effect of exercise intervention on functional decline in very elderly patients during acute hospitalization: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Internal Medicine, 179(1), 28-36. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.4869
The Walden NURS 6001 Week 9 instructions
The ninth NURS 6001 week typically asks for a short synthesis of a few sources on one question. You read the sources together, write paragraphs by theme that draw on several sources, state what they show together and often include a synthesis matrix. Faculty separate synthesis from summary quickly, so one paragraph per source loses the row. Cite all sources in APA 7. Three sources is common but some sections allow more. The matrix may be submitted with the paper or used as a planning tool. This assignment differs from the earlier article analysis by combining findings rather than describing two studies.
How this NURS 6001 Week 9 example is built
Two themed paragraphs, a brief introduction and a conclusion make up the passage, and a matrix appendix sits behind it. The introduction states the question, whether early mobility programs reduce functional decline in hospitalized older adults, and names the three studies briefly. The first themed paragraph gathers what all three report about function at discharge, with parenthetical citations grouped where sources agree. The second addresses the point where they diverge, feasibility on units with limited staffing, and suggests why the disagreement may reflect different settings. Not one paragraph belongs to a single study. The conclusion draws one careful implication for bedside practice and names the gap the three leave open. In the matrix each study gets a row, and the columns record design, sample, main finding and the theme it supports.
Where the marks sit in the NURS 6001 Week 9 rubric
Synthesis is separated from summary within the first themed paragraph a marker reads. If each paragraph belongs to one source, the row is lost regardless of how accurate the summaries are; the example therefore organizes by finding and never by author. Agreement and disagreement each earn credit, and handling divergence with an explanation, not a bare statement that results differ, is where stronger pieces pull ahead. The author's voice is a separate row: connecting sentences must interpret, not just transition. Citation accuracy matters more than usual because grouped citations are easy to misattribute. Common losses include a matrix that contradicts the prose, a conclusion claiming more than three studies can support, and a passage that quotes heavily where paraphrase would show understanding.
NURS 6001 Week 9 help from the desk
Syntheses lose the most when each paragraph belongs to one source. Write by theme and bring several sources into each. Another common gap is a conclusion that repeats the findings. State what they show together. Writers also skip disagreements between sources. Name them. Avoid summarizing abstracts. Use comparison words such as similarly and in contrast. Keep the question at the center. Close with what the evidence suggests for practice. Writers also forget the matrix, which shows the comparison at a glance. Include it if your section allows. Another frequent slip is mixing a review with its own included trials as if separate. Note any overlap.
Get a NURS 6001 Week 9 example written to your instructions
Share the Week 9 prompt, your rubric and whatever sources you have gathered so far, three or a few more, and those studies are the ones synthesized. A first sample is free of charge, delivered in 24 to 48 hours with its matrix, so every claim in the prose points back to something you can check.
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NURS 6001 Week 9 questions, answered
Does the synthesis have to use exactly three sources?
The example uses three because that is the smallest number where themes form naturally and disagreement becomes likely. Your prompt may ask for more, and the same structure scales: more themes, a longer matrix, the same rule that no paragraph belongs to one source. Whatever count your instructions set is the count the synthesis written for you meets.
Is the synthesis matrix submitted with the paper?
Sometimes. Some instructors require it as an appendix and some treat it as a private working tool. The example includes it because it makes attribution checkable and demonstrates the method. If your section does not want it, the sample can omit it from the submission while keeping it as a separate file, since the prose depends on it either way.
What separates this from the research analysis earlier in the course?
The earlier analysis examines two studies closely, one at a time, with attention to design. Synthesis steps back and asks what several studies say together, organizing by theme. The earlier skill feeds this one: understanding each design is what allows a disagreement between studies to be explained rather than merely noted. Articles from that earlier week can reappear here if your instructor allows reuse.
Where can I find a free NURS 6001 Week 9 sample paper?
The early mobility synthesis is on this page with two themed sections, the conclusion and the synthesis matrix.
What question does the NURS 6001 Week 9 synthesis answer?
Whether early mobility programs reduce functional decline in hospitalized older adults.