You are the DNP-prepared nurse responsible for overseeing a large intensive care unit (ICU). You have noticed that in the last 3 months, the number of nosocomial, or hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), has dramatically increased among patients who have undergone cardiovascular procedures. You would like to initiate a practice study to determine the source of these HAIs and to improve patient outcomes in your ICU.
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What types of interdisciplinary collaboration might be needed to support the goals of your practice study?
As outlined in the scenario, the likelihood to engage in interdisciplinary collaboration to enhance healthcare delivery and nursing practice is high. In fact, it is likely that the DNP-prepared nurse in the scenario presented may need to collaborate with an infection prevention specialist (who may be a PhD-prepared nurse or PhD-credentialed healthcare professional). While this represents only one potential area in which interprofessional collaboration may take place in advanced nursing practice, it is important to keep in mind that when disciplines work together toward a shared goal that focuses on the patient, the quality and cost of care delivered will be optimized (Johnson & Johnson, 2016).
For this Blog Assignment, review the Learning Resources and reflect on strategies that may be used to foster interdisciplinary collaboration in nursing practice. Reflect on strategies and approaches you might recommend that support interdisciplinary collaboration in practice.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Healthcare
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Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Healthcare
Interdisciplinary or interprofessional collaboration in healthcare is highly encouraged, especially in critically ill patients, to enhance the chances of better patient outcomes. In the presented scenario, interdisciplinary collaboration is highly recommended to improve care delivery. Interprofessional collaboration in the ICU to prevent infections can happen between a DNP-prepared nurse and an infection control specialist, as well as other care professionals (Ervin et al., 2018). The infection control specialist is trained to ensure healthcare workers and patients do what is required to prevent infections. Another type of collaboration is between the DNP and the physician to ensure the clinical procedures do not expose patients to infections. Collaboration between the DNP-prepared nurse and other beside nurses is also essential. According to Ervin et al. (2018), the ICU team consists of physicians, clinician pharmacists, respiratory therapists, beside nurses, and others; therefore, there can be different types of interprofessional collaborations.
According to Busari et al. (2017), communication is considered an essential element of interprofessional collaboration between nurses, physicians, and other healthcare professionals. Therefore, the team needs a well-structured and coordinated way of communication to collaborate effectively. Proper communication strategies make a team sable. A stable team builds mutual respect and can achieve its objectives (Walter et al., 2019). Another important issue includes the team vision and strategies to help the interprofessional team achieve its objective (Morley & Cashell, 2017). With that in mind, this team should put down effective strategies and stick to its vision so that it can identify the cause of infection and ways to prevent the problem. People are expected to show good behavior in an interprofessional team because behavior is one of the drivers of collaboration.
References
Busari, J. O., Moll, F. M., & Duits, A. J. (2017). Understanding the impact of interprofessional collaboration on the quality of care: a case report from a small-scale resource limited health care environment. Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare, 10, 227. https://doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S140042
Ervin, J. N., Kahn, J. M., Cohen, T. R., & Weingart, L. R. (2018). Teamwork in the intensive care unit. American Psychologist, 73(4), 468. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000247
Morley, L., & Cashell, A. (2017). Collaboration in health care. Journal of medical imaging and radiation sciences, 48(2), 207-216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmir.2017.02.071
Walter, J. K., Schall, T. E., DeWitt, A. G., Faerber, J., Griffis, H., Galligan, M., … & Feudtner, C. (2019). Interprofessional team member communication patterns, teamwork, and collaboration in pre–family meeting huddles in a pediatric cardiac intensive care unit. Journal of pain and symptom management, 58(1), 11-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2019.04.009