Developing Your Writing: Creating a Cohesive Paper from a Discussion

Post

Rachel GrammerWriting Tutor

Walden University

Agenda

POLL: What is the purpose of a discussion post?

A. Prepare for future papers

B. Evaluate authors you read

C. Interact with peers

D. Ask questions

Discussion posts are meant to…

Sample Discussion Post Question

Anderson, Hussey, Frogner, and Waters (2005) suggested that the reason the United States spends so much in healthcare is not because of malpractice suits. Do you agree or disagree, and why? Cite three sources to defend your argument.

Body

• Make a claim• Compare and contrast• Support with evidence• Practice scholarly writing

Initial Student Post ExcerptWhile Jamison (2003)* claimed that malpractice was the leading cause of healthcare costs, Anderson et al. (2005) noted that the amount of money spent on malpractice is minimal, less than 1% of the overall healthcare cost in 2001. With the large amount of money being put toward other facets of healthcare, malpractice cannot be a significant factor in United States’ healthcare costs.

* Not an actual source. For demonstration of concept only.

Critical Interaction

Do I agree? Why?Do I disagree? Why?

Can I make a counterargument? Are there any gaps in the research?

Are there any flaws in the logic?What do my other sources say?

Are there any related ideas that need to be explored?*

Response ExcerptMalpractice costs and frequency of suits undeniably affect the United States’ healthcare. While malpractice may not contribute to a large part of the overall cost of healthcare nationwide, there is a marked difference between the 0.46% the United States devoted to malpractice costs in 2001 and the 0.27% of Canada (Anderson et al., 2005). Research has shown that the United States is one of the world’s top 10 countries in the number of malpractice cases per capita (Johnson, 2002)*.

* Not an actual source. For demonstration of concept only.

Next Steps

My Question

Why is malpractice so prevalent in the United States?

POLL: What is the next step?

Original Post, Response Post, Question, _________.

A.Post Again

B.Evaluate

C.Research

D.Write

Next Steps

ResearchLook for answers to the question:

http://library.waldenu.edu/

*Not an actual source. For demonstration of concept only.

Thesis

See our webpage on Thesis Construction.

POLL: Which sentence best fits the definition of a thesis statement?

A. I will show how lesson plans are essential to good teaching.

B. This paper will explore lesson planning.

C. My purpose in this paper is to discuss lesson planning.

Thesis Malpractice cases, per capita, may be higher in the United States than in other countries due to increased access to healthcare in the United States and the United States’ monopoly on critical procedures.

I. IntroductionA. Background of the topicB. General topic or problemC. Thesis

Introduction

INTRODUCTION

I. Introduction A. Malpractice occurs in every 3 out of 10 medical cases

(Docket, 2011)* B. Malpractice suits are occurring frequently in the

United States (Jacobs, 2012) *1. In 2011 there 5 million malpractice suits between

the months of January and May (Kendel, 2012) *2. Just over 45% of all the cases judges saw in New

York in 2010 were malpractice suits (New York Journal, 2011) * C. The United States has the 3rd highest number of

malpractice cases, per capita, in the world (WorldReality, 2012) *

D. Malpractice cases, per capita, may be higher in the United States than in other countries due to increased access to healthcare in the United States and the United States’ monopoly on critical procedures.

Introduction

Thesis Point #1II. The high incidence of malpractice suits in the United States

may be due to increased access to healthcare in the United States.

A. Access to healthcare is increasing (Johnson, 2010)*B. New healthcare laws allow more people to utilize critical

services (Franklin, 2011)*C. A 56% increase in patients caused a 4% increase in

malpractice suits at a hospital in New York (Grendel, 2010)*

Thesis Point #2

III. The United States has a monopoly on critical medical procedures.

A. Critical medical procedure is defined as... “…” (Source, year).

B. The United States performs the highest number of high-risk procedures worldwide (Smith, 2011)*

C. 17 million people annually travel to the United States from other countries for critical medical treatment (Richards, 2011)*.

D. A study by Freedman (2012)* showed a positive correlation between high-risk procedures and malpractice suits .

OutlineI. IntroductionII. Increased access to healthcare in the United States

A. Access to healthcare is increasing (Johnson, 2010)*B. New healthcare laws allow more people to utilize critical

services (Franklin, 2011)*C. A 56% increase in patients caused a 4% increase in

malpractice suits at a hospital in New York (Grendel, 2010)*

III. United States’ monopoly on critical procedures.A. The United States performs the highest number of high-

risk procedures worldwide (Smith, 2011)*B. A study by Freedman (2012)* showed a positive

correlation between high-risk procedures and malpractice suits . *Not an actual source. For demonstration of concept only.

Discussion Post → Paper

THESISTHESIS

References

Anderson, G. F., Hussey, P. S., Frogner, B. K., & Waters, H. R. (2005). Health spending in

the United States and the rest of the industrialized world. Health Affairs,

24(4), 903–914. Retrieved fromProQuest database. (Accession No.

16136632)

Questions?

Email: writingsupport@waldenu.edu

Website: http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/