Participation and leadership in interdisciplinary teams
As a baccalaureate-prepared nurse, your participation and leadership in interdisciplinary teams will be vital to the health outcomes for your patients and organization. One way to approach designing an improvement project is to use the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement describes it thus:
The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle is shorthand for testing a change in the real work setting—by planning it, trying it, observing the results, and acting on what is learned. This is the scientific method adapted for action-oriented learning…Essentially, the PDSA cycle helps you test out change ideas on a smaller scale before evaluating the results and making adjustments before potentially launching into a somewhat larger scale project (n.d.).
You might also recognize that the PDSA cycle resembles the nursing process. The benefit of gaining experience with this model of project design is that it provides nurses with an opportunity to ideate and lead improvements. For this assessment, you will not be implementing all of the PDSA cycle. Instead, you are being asked to interview a health care professional of your choice to determine what kind of interdisciplinary problem he or she is experiencing or has experienced in the workplace. This interview, in Assessment 2, will inform the research that you will conduct to propose a plan for interdisciplinary collaboration in Assessment 3.
It would be an excellent choice to complete the PDSA Cycle activity prior to developing the report. The activity consists of four questions that create the opportunity to check your understanding of best practices related to each stage of the PDSA cycle. The information gained from completing this formative will promote your success with the Interview and Interdisciplinary Issue Identification report. This will take just a few minutes of your time and is not graded.
Competency 2: Explain how interdisciplinary collaboration can be used to achieve desired patient and systems outcomes.
Summarize an interview focused on past or current issues at a health care organization.
Describe collaboration approaches from the literature that could be relevant in establishing or improving an interdisciplinary team to address an organizational issue.
Competency 3: Describe ways to incorporate evidence-based practice within an interdisciplinary team.
Identify an issue from an interview for which an evidence-based interdisciplinary approach would be appropriate.
Competency 4: Explain how change management theories and leadership strategies can enable interdisciplinary teams to achieve specific organizational goals.
Describe change theories and a leadership strategy that could help develop an interdisciplinary solution to an organizational issue.
Competency 5: Apply professional, scholarly, evidence-based communication strategies to impact patient, interdisciplinary team, and systems outcomes.
Sample Solution
Interdisciplinary collaboration is the practice of bringing together professionals from different disciplines to work together towards a common goal. This can be an effective way to achieve desired patient and systems outcomes because it allows for a more comprehensive and holistic approach to care. For example, a team of doctors, nurses, social workers, and therapists can work together to provide care for a patient with complex needs. Each professional can bring their own expertise to the table, and they can work together to develop a plan of care that meets the patient's individual needs.Full Answer Section
Interdisciplinary collaboration can also help to improve systems outcomes. For example, a team of hospital administrators, nurses, and doctors can work together to develop a new system for managing patient flow. This can help to reduce wait times and improve patient satisfaction. Summarize an interview focused on past or current issues at a health care organization. I interviewed a nurse at a local hospital who told me about a problem she was having with interdisciplinary collaboration. She said that the doctors and nurses often didn't communicate effectively with each other, which was leading to problems with patient care. For example, she said that one time a doctor ordered a medication for a patient, but the nurse didn't know about it because the doctor hadn't communicated the order to her. The patient ended up not getting the medication, which could have had serious consequences. The nurse said that she felt like the doctors and nurses needed to find a way to communicate better with each other. She said that they needed to create a system where they could share information more effectively. Describe collaboration approaches from the literature that could be relevant in establishing or improving an interdisciplinary team to address an organizational issue. There are a number of collaboration approaches that could be relevant in establishing or improving an interdisciplinary team to address an organizational issue. Some of these approaches include:- Shared decision-making:Â This approach involves all members of the team having a say in decision-making. This can help to ensure that all perspectives are considered and that the best possible decisions are made for patients.
- Team-based care:Â This approach involves all members of the team working together to provide care for patients. This can help to ensure that patients receive coordinated care and that their needs are met.
- Communication and conflict resolution:Â This approach involves all members of the team communicating effectively with each other and resolving conflicts in a constructive way. This can help to create a positive and productive work environment.
- Leadership:Â Strong leadership is essential for interdisciplinary collaboration. Leaders need to create a culture of collaboration and support, and they need to provide the resources and training that teams need to be successful.
- Trust:Â Trust is essential for interdisciplinary collaboration. Team members need to trust each other's expertise and abilities, and they need to be willing to share information and work together.
- Communication:* Communication is essential for interdisciplinary collaboration. Team members need to communicate effectively with each other, both verbally and in writing. They also need to be able to listen to each other's perspectives and to be open to feedback.
- Respect:* Respect is essential for interdisciplinary collaboration. Team members need to respect each other's roles and contributions, and they need to be willing to compromise.