Interdisciplinary collaboration experience

Interdisciplinary collaboration experience

Mr. Jones, a 65-year-old patient, came into Vila Health for a regular checkup. He had recently had an accident and was in a wheelchair with temporary functional impairment of his lower limbs. The hospital had placed him on home-based rehabilitation to help him achieve more independence in his everyday life. Besides, he was on a weekly physiotherapy plan that included psychological therapy to help him deal with the trauma of the event. This was a case that required a team-based flow chart that outlined the inter- and trans-disciplinary collaboration.

One of the main challenges during Mr. Jones’ treatment was the poor communication between the home-based caregivers and the professionals in the hospital. They would delay with the feedback, and at times the professionals would have to wait for the weekly visits by the patient to get the information. The new EHR system installed at Vila Health also made it somewhat challenging to access some of the medical reports of the patient and would delay the treatment further.

To solve these challenges, the team decided to have a systematic way of sharing information. Mr. Jones was provided with a vital signs monitor that would relay real-time information to the providers in the hospitals. The physiotherapists and the counselor communicated frequently through case discussions. As a nurse, I was tasked with carrying out simulated inspections at home. I would also prepare the patient for the therapy sessions and communicate with the rest of the team. Fostering interprofessional communication through case discussions and simulated ward rounds in nursing and medical education: A pilot project

The team provided information about three processes: developing work routines

When functional impairment occurs, assistance to achieve self-help can lead to

Ways in which reflective nursing practice can help build a better understanding of past experiences to improve future practice decisions

Reflective practice is an essential requirement for professional growth in healthcare. It may help in enhancing one’s skills and learn from their experiences as a nurse. The reflective process can enable one to learn from their experiences, link the gaps between theory and practice, and understand their influence and feelings in clinical practice (Koshi et al., 2016). This is because it helps the nurse to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a practice. This helps in better decision –making in future and more evidence-based practice efforts that would improve the patient outcome.

Ways poor collaboration can result in inefficient management of human and financial resources

Proper practices of human resource management can have a crucial impact on the performance of an organization. In healthcare, it helps in improving the quality of care. Nevertheless, the success of the outcome is mostly dependent on collaboration, teamwork, and communication. Conversely, poor collaboration and communication may lead to significant failures that may cost the company dearly.

According to Busari, Moll, and Duits (2017), inadequate communication between teams in an organization may result in significant financial implications. This is because poor collaboration may lead to frustration and stress, as well as poor decision making. It may also lead to legal disputes and reduced productivity often occasioned by mistrust. Poor collaboration may also lead to reduced motivation, thus increased turnover among the staff members.

Poor collaboration also affects the effectiveness of instructions given by the leadership. It leads to time-wastage as people work towards non-existent deadlines and vague instructions. Lack of real-time feedback may also cost the productivity of the entire team. The team may lack a clear direction of the objectives of the company and may find themselves feeling superfluous.

Best-practice leadership strategies that would improve an interdisciplinary team’s ability to achieve its goals

Transformational leadership is a crucial element in interdisciplinary collaboration. Inter-professional team leaders act as role models in line with the espoused values and create a climate that inspires the staff (Morgan, Pullon, and McKinlay, 2015). The team would feel motivated, challenged, supported, and rewarded, and may respond to change flexibly. Therefore, the leadership would act as a catalyst for practice change.

For instance, at the Vila Health site, it would have been necessary for the leadership to explain the need for an upgrade of the EHR to the staff. They would then be involved in the process of decision making. Leadership would also include being appreciative of the opinions of the team and considering them before the implementation of any change in the organization.

Best-practice interdisciplinary collaboration strategies to help a team to achieve its goals and work together more effectively

Interdisciplinary collaboration is more crucial in healthcare, given its implications on the patient experience, clinical outcomes, and the efficiency of the caregivers. However, changes in the inpatient environment may make this collaboration quite challenging to achieve. This may require the team to be adaptive to the changes in the environment. Kevin (2016) states that the complex adaptive systems require that the agents and the environment interact mutually and affect each other to generate new behaviors. One of the strategies would be to improve interpersonal communication. This would require empowering the caregivers to have accurate and comprehensive communication with other members of the team. Bridging communication barriers created by time and space would also help a team to work more effectively and achieve its goals (Green and Johnson, 2015). Individuals who do not work side-by-side should be able to collaborate without the barriers of communication fully. The team may also establish common patient goals. This would put all the members on the same page to combine their unique skills and experiences to meet the complex needs of the patient.