Collaboration & Teamwork in Healthcare: Overcoming Barriers for Better Outcomes, Lecture notes of Accounting

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BSN_FP Collaboration and Teamwork in Health Care Capella University Assessment, Communication, and Collaboration Collaboration and Teamwork in Health Care Collaboration and Teamwork in Health Care Interdisciplinary collaboration is essential to running a high efficiency facility and improving patient satisfaction, as well as patient outcomes. Communication and teamwork are the backbones of the organization and helps to safeguard patients’ safety (Amudha, Hamidah, Annamma, & Ananth, 2018). Healthcare workers strive to provide excellent care to their patients. In order to meet this goal effectively, collaboration and teamwork between healthcare providers are essential to improve patient safety and outcomes. This article will evaluate the concept of healthcare collaboration, discuss the benefits of team collaboration, the characteristics and potential barriers, and strategies to these barriers. Explain the concept of collaboration in health care Interdisciplinary collaboration has been defined through concept analysis as an inter‐ personal process characterized by healthcare professionals from multiple disciplines, with shared objectives, decision‐making responsibilities and power, working together to solve patient care problems (Bender, Connelly, & Brown, 2013). It is important for all members of the interdisciplinary team to have trust and respect for each other as well as with the patient and their families. With the world of healthcare’s diversity growing substantially over the years and the increase in patients with multiple medical conditions, interdisciplinary collaboration is utilized to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and management of patient’s conditions. Describe the benefits of effective collaboration and teamwork in health care

There are multiple beneficial factors of collaboration and team work for not only the patient, but their families and all the healthcare providers involved. In order to determine the best treatment plans for their patients and improving patient outcomes, they work with many other providers within the healthcare system to meet these goals. Involvement of all these team members in a cooperative and coordinated way is essential to providing exceptional care (Morley, & Cashell, 2017). Interdisciplinary collaboration offers opportunities for team members to expand their knowledge and learn new specialties or disciplines. It also allows them to participate in solving medical complications and be an active part of the patient plan of care. During the collaboration process all team members create a relationship based on open communication, trust, and respect. Interactional skills encompass qualities that relate to the interpersonal relationship between the disciplines: mutual respect and trust, and effective communication (Petri, 2010). Open communication encourages team members to express their thoughts and concerns regarding patients plan of care, resulting in prevention of unnecessary treatment and medical errors. The goal of effective interdisciplinary collaboration and team work in health care is to improve the safety, care, satisfaction, and outcomes for patients. In healthcare, especially in an acute care setting patient acuity is higher increasing the risk for medical errors. Interdisciplinary collaboration and improved communication help to reduce preventable medical errors, morbidity and mortality rates, decrease in hospital readmissions and hospital length of stay and improve patient outcomes. Healthcare organizations benefit in multiple ways from interdisciplinary collaboration. Improving staff confidence by encouraging them to speak out and express their concerns, promotes staff satisfaction. This reduces employee turnover rates and enhances cost efficiency. When the team members are confident in their communication and collaborate effectively, it shows in patient satisfaction scores through hospital surveys and reviews. This

improved the hospitals reputation. Characteristics and concepts required for effective interdisciplinary collaboration Health care involves the participation of patients, family, and a diverse team of often highly specialized health care professionals (Morley, & Cashell, 2017). Interdisciplinary team is made up of multiple professions with different education levels, it is important that all team member to remain respectful for one another. Therefore, all recommendations from team members should be appreciated even if one does not agree with it. With that being said it is important that all team members practice within their scope of practice and understand their role within the team. All collaboration between team members should be patient focused with the main goal of improving patient outcomes and satisfaction. Describe barriers to effective interdisciplinary collaboration. In healthcare organizations, the type of nurse-physician relationship and effectiveness of internal communication is one of the critical elements in deciding the quality of patient care (Amudha, et al., 2018). As mentioned earlier, there are multiple healthcare providers contributing in the collaboration of patients care, all of these providers from different background with different degrees and disciplines which can lead to communication issues. A major hierarchy seen in healthcare for many years is nurse-physician. One group in this hierarchy is reluctant to communicate in certain instances due to concern of lack of knowledge or authority. Physicians still adopt authoritarian attitudes and sometimes nurse’s opinions are not heard (Amudha, et al., 2018). For example, if a nurse makes a recommendation to a physician regarding treatment for the patient, the physician should consider the recommendation at not dismiss it based on who has a higher degree. This can discourage nurse collaboration resulting in poor patient outcomes. Healthcare professionals tend to use their authority in communication which interferes with adequate communication which leads to poor patient care. In some instances, nurses are

unsure of what needs to be reported to the physician, leading to the physician getting upset for unnecessary phone calls, especially in the middle of the night. This can lead to nurses fearing making phone calls to physicians which could be detrimental to the patient. This is a result in lack of appropriate trainings. Evidence-based strategies to overcome barriers to effective interdisciplinary collaboration With proper teamwork and communication skills interdisciplinary collaboration can be most beneficial to the patient, the family, and the healthcare team. In order to have a successful interdisciplinary team, frequent and appropriate trainings are required to influence proper communication skills between all parties involved. Trainings for nursing staff is also important to educate nurses on what needs to be reported to physicians. Physicians needs to be made aware of their attitude toward nurses when collaborating patient care. The poor communication results when nurses are unsure of patient details and lead to poor case reporting during the ward rounds as well as telephone case reporting skills (Amudha, et al., 2018). It is important that nurses are aware of available tools at their facility to promote adequate communication within the team. A structured communication tool would be beneficial to effectively communicate the patient information, reduce the adverse events, promote patient safety, improve the quality of care, and increase health care provider satisfaction (Shahid, & Thomas, 2018). Most facilities have implemented the use of SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) to facilitate communication. SBAR is an outline for effective communication between healthcare providers regarding patient’s plan of care. SBAR was initially implemented in the healthcare to improve communication between nurse and physician, but over the years it has improved healthcare cares confidence in communication. Conclusion

Interdisciplinary collaboration requires a lot of team work in order to be beneficial. By working together and maintaining a trusting and respectful relationship improves not only the patient’s outcomes but allows for providers to learn from one another. Keeping open communication prevents unnecessary testing and medical errors from occurring. Appropriate trainings and knowledge of tools to implement adequate communication improves confidence within the team and promotes better outcomes for the patient. References Amudha, P., Hamidah, H., Annamma, K., & Ananth, N. (2018). Effective communication between nurses and doctors: Barriers as perceived by nurses. J Nurs Care , 7 (03), 1-6. Bender, M., Connelly, C. D., & Brown, C. (2013). Interdisciplinary collaboration: The role of theclinical nurse leader. Journal of Nursing Management, 21 (1), 165–174. Morley, L., & Cashell, A. (2017). Collaboration in health care. Journal of medical imaging and radiation sciences , 48 (2), 207-216. Petri, L. (2010). Concept analysis of interdisciplinary collaboration. Nursing Forum, 45 (2), 73–

Shahid, S., & Thomas, S. (2018). Situation, background, assessment, recommendation (SBAR) communication tool for handoff in health care–a narrative review. Safety in Health , 4 (1), 1-9.