NR 451 Week 5 Discussion Topic: Interprofessional Collaboration (graded)

NR 451 Week 5 Discussion Topic: Interprofessional Collaboration (graded) 74 74 unread replies. 103 103 replies. This week's graded topic relates to the following Course Outcome (CO). CO7: Integrates the professional role of leader, teacher, communicator, and manager of care to plan cost-effective, quality healthcare to consumers in structured and unstructured settings. (PO#7) Planning for our patients during times of transitions (for example: hospital to home, home to rehabilitation facility) involves collaboration with a number of healthcare professionals. Please address the following questions: • How does your facility promote interprofessional collaboration during times of patient transitions? • What is the role of the nurse in patient transitions? • What gaps can you identify in this process related to quality of care? (If you are not currently in practice, please use a previous role or clinical experience in your answers.) "Collaboration in nursing is a vital professional relationship skill"( C, 2019). In to support successful collaborative relationships hospitals must have a strong foundation with a fully engaged workforce. The importance of teams, transformational leaders and strong managers who support the vision of the organization, positive communication and education and training cannot be emphasized enough when working toward positive interdisciplinary collaboration. Members of interdisciplinary teams are all owning a part of the success of the patient care transitions and contribute to the quality of care we provide our patients and families. Communication is promoted in our organization as part of our journey to excellence with RELATE communication model and words that work. By introducing this model of communication it prevents employees from putting up barriers to work flow processes or departmental communications that could lead to negativity. We also have quarterly interdepartmental rounding. Example of which is , we recently had an interdepartmental rounding with the Director of Security and Safety. Our nurses were concerned with 24 hour visiting bringing people onto the units during the night that shouldn't be there. By sharing their concerns we were able to discuss alternatives for helping staff feel safe on the unit at night. The outcome of the rounds with this department was to put a buzzer entry lock on the front door of the unit to be used after 10pm. We started walking rounds which promotes inter professional collaboration, the case manager, social workers, hospitalists, manager and primary nurses walk together to each patient and communicate in detail regarding patient planning. This has promoted communication among the disciplines and teamwork. Prior to walking rounds, the primary nurse reported in rounds on her patient and the depth of the communication was not present. Through our care transitions council a Smart Journal was created for all patients. This is a Bi fold that has pockets inside ( for all those pieces of paper you get in the hospital /education hand outs etc) and a place for business cards. The inside has places to write notes, reminders and questions and a place to write answers. The idea is to engage the patient to be actively involved in their care by being the one who writes into the smart journal. All disciplines can write in it ( OT,PT, MDs, SW etc) with the hope that by the time the patient is discharged everything they need to know is in the journal and they can bring it home. This is a work in progress. It was introduced about a year ago and when audits are conducted the actual use of the smart journals has been very low and many patients take it home without being written in. We are working on improving our engagement with this for our patients. The role of the nurse in care transitions and quality of care is vital. If teamwork exists then inter professional collaboration will exist. Teams work together for the best outcomes and in order to facilitate the best outcomes teams must be aware of the roles of other teams and be respectful of their roles and what barriers they might encounter in their roles. By supporting shared decision making teams can be supportive of each other and when decisions are made it is with communication and a collaborative approach. Successful Inter professional collaboration also plays a role in decreasing mis communication and potentially errors and poor outcomes. As a Magnet hospital, I believe we work really hard on inter professional collaboration. We have members from all departments on our councils and committees. We are not perfect , there are teams that are not perfect but it is a work in progress and we can always improve what we do. "If the team's professionals do not communicate and collaborate, their performance suffers" (, 2019) "Effective teamwork and good working relationships can reduce errors and improve outcomes" (, 2019) The IOM( Institute of medicine) discusses the importance of collaboration and communication with the handoff of care whether it is by discharge to the community or hand off between professionals during inpatient stay( IOM, 2015) "With each transition in care, increasing the risk for error to the patient with each handoff" (IOM,2015). Institute of Medicine. Measuring the Impact of Inter professional Education (IPE) on Collaborative Practice and Patient Outcomes: A Consensus Study. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2015. Inter professional collaboration to improve health care. Retrieved from :