FPX 4010 Assessment 2: Interview and Interdisciplinary Issue Identification

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University

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Date

Introduction

In the crowded emergency room of a city hospital where time is always a factor, proper communication between medical professionals is vital both for patients’ safety and high-quality care provision. The first reason that has been discussed is, in the process of handover patients, the problems of miscommunication have been observed, suggesting that thie might lead to treatment delays and apparent safety risks. Through this interview we shall examine the obstacles confronted by the health professionals in the field of interdisciplinary communication and to go further explore the evidence-based techniques of remedy these with communication and collaboration in patient care.

Interviewee Selection and Background

I remember there was a period when I was in the ER of a city hospital. I had the honor of an interview with Ms. Smith, an elderly nurse who has worked in critical care for years. Having been employed in the emergency department for more than 10 years, Ms.Smith now holds ownership of an invaluable knowledge stock as well as a huge experience in her specific area. The nursing assistant is the one who must take charge of the patients from the time they arrive, initiate treatment and coordinate care with the medical staff. Ms. Smith’s reveals how the healthcare providers struggle communication within multi-disciplinary teams.It will bring the reader fresh and creative perspectives on how to deal with communication gaps in patient handoffs (Real & Buckner, 2015).

Identifying Miscommunication Issues

In the process of interviewing Ms. Smith we found out that the inadequate communication system could be the cause of frequent problems that employees face in the emergency department leading to major delays in patient care. Ms. Smith pointed to various aspects of communication lapses, in turn, unraveled treatment delays and possibly safety risks for patients. Some of the problems include the immature handover processes when the shifts change (Lagendijk & Stegwee., n.d.), the failure to reap the benefits of technology such as electronic health records (EHR) (Woodham, 2023), and the inadequate standardization in communication protocols (Nasarwanji et al., 2016). The staff misunderstandings in hospitals is not only a threat to safety of the patients but also the standard of services delivered.

In the same way, Ms. Smith stated that patient safety should take precedence and interventions based on evidence and interdisciplinary should be used to address communication challenges successfully. Studies revealed that interdisciplinary collaboration and communication strategies, including the use of standardized communication instruments (SBAR, for example) (Eberhardt, 2014) can substantially enhance handover procedures and reduce errors that may occur during the transference process (Lance, 2021). Through a comprehensive approach using evidence-based practices, practitioners can make sure to succeed in decreasing miscommunication risks as well as improve the result of the treatment.

Analysis of Miscommunication Challenges

During the interview, a variety of components were solidified as being the causes of the challenges related to miscommunication within the emergency department. A major problem is the absence of such communication protocols unifying the style of information passing between healthcare organizations by different providers (Real & Buckner, 2014). The emergency room environment increases this stress and makes it harder for the medical staff to convey the important message of the patient’s condition (Fainter, 1991).

Additionally, there is ineffective application of technologic devices like electronic health records (EHR) that hinders communication effectiveness and accuracy (Kalra, 2011). On the bright side, the purpose of EHR systems is to share information and to simplify communication. At the same time, their underutilization can lead to errors in data accessing and to delays in getting the vital information. Thus, the question arises about the need to equip healthcare workers with comprehensive skills training and support to enable them to fully harness the benefits that the new technology can bring to healthcare communication (Hodson, 2013 ).

To resolve these communication issues it is necessary to implement a multifaceted approach where, among others, you will use standardized communication protocols, improve the training on EHR utilization, and create a culture of open communication and collaboration among healthcare professionals. Through these tackling of the root causes, health care providers are able to help raise the effectiveness of communication, lower the risk of mistakes, and hence make improve patient safety and outcomes.

Evidence-Based Interdisciplinary Approach to Address Miscommunication

To counter the challenges of miscommunication in emergency department, evidenced-based and teamwork oriented approach should be applied. To begin with, deploying standardized communication tools only and sole such as the Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation (SBAR) framework can facilitate clear and structured processing of verbal communication (Eberhardt, 2014). This set methodology makes sure that paramount patient data is given to all healthcare providers on time thus eliminating erroneous data and avoiding vital omissions.

Along with this, interdisciplinary training programs which are centered on the delivery of communication skills training can also help to empower healthcare professionals to handle the more complex communication scenarios more efficiently (Lance, 2021). Such trainings usually involve simulation-based exercises and role-playing activities that provide an opportunity for providers to face the actual communication problems they are likely to deal with thus equipping them with the skills needed to overcome these challenges.

Moreover, utilizing technology-based communication methods, such as secure messaging platforms and telecommunication tools, can be effective ways of keeping interdisciplinary teams connected promptly and sharply (Lagendijk & Stegwee, n.d.). Through the introduction of these tools in clinical workflow, healthcare institutions can therefore overcome the communication barriers posed by geographical barriers as well as shift changes. This will improve the information sharing and collaboration hence ensuring a smooth information exchange and collaboration.

Through introducing an evidence supported interdisciplinary approach that includes message format standards as well as specialized training programs and technology-oriented solutions, healthcare units can successfully combat miscommunication in the emergency departments resulting to improvement of patient safety and care quality.

Change Theory and Leadership Strategy

While solving miscommunication problem at the emergency department we will use theory of change and effective leadership methods as the steps. The involved change theory here generally is the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) circle, which is a structured framework that can be consequently improved in the long-term (Gaboury, et al. 2021). The health care teams can do the communication gap identification, deployment of measures, evaluation of the outcomes followed by strategy redefinitions which will improve their communication continuously.

Transformational leadership with it vision-oriented and empowerment ability is the main factor that makes interdisciplinarity collaboration possible and also is very important for the construction of a setting of free conversations (Pearson, 2020). Transformational leaders who inspire their teammates to welcome changes, facilitate multi-disciplinary teamwork, and have patient safety as top priority are the leaders who would lead healthcare to a revolutionary and bright future. By means of leading by example, offering support and resources and by creating a successful communication environment, these leaders will be at the front of making the necessary changes that will finally enable for the organizational communication to reach its full potential.

Collaboration Approaches for Improving Communication

Collaboration approaches to take the advantage of including communication to the healthcare providers is key fostering. For instance, interprofessional education (IPE), which results in a situation wherein professionals drawn from different disciplines learn to work with each other in a collaborative approach is one effective method (M. van Diggele et al., 2020). By establishing that kind of understanding and respect, IPE enables the effective exchange of information, as well as collaboration and ultimately better treatment outcomes for the public.

One of the useful approaches to enhance teamwork is the application of TeamSTEPPS, a system to manage work teams and improve performance of all healthcare providers (Hall-Lord et al., 2021). Through TeamsSTEPS, the staff of the emergency department could learn to enhance the interactions and leadership, together with the awareness of the situation, which will finally create a culture of safety and effectiveness-promoting environment in this area.

Accepting these collaboration approaches healthcare teams can create an environment of collaboration, improve communication skills, and as a result of all that they can provide better patient care in the fast changeable emergency department.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the proper management of miscommunication difficulties in the emergency department is definitely a must for the purpose of seeing to the patients’ safety and quality of care. Such evidence-based multi-professional programs as interprofessional education and TeamSTEPPS, when implemented, can strengthen interprofessional communications, teamwork and collaboration. Theories of change can be Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle as well as transformational leadership strategies will be involved in taking teams through the process of organizational change and build-up an atmosphere of continuous improvement.

Additionally, adopting collaboration approaches can additionally improve communication among health providers and eventually build up a safety culture in the ED. The healthcare organizations should always put communication training in the first list, set the standardized protocols and create a culture in which usual practices are open communication and group decision.

The effective management of communication problems can be achieved by teamwork that is proactive and evidence-based, and this can lead to patients’ positive outcomes and high-level care.

References

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Eberhardt, S. (2014). Improve handoff communication with SBAR. Nursing, 44(11), 17-20. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nurse.0000454965.49138.79

Fainter, J. (1991). Quality assurance # quality improvement. Journal For Healthcare Quality, 13(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-1474.1991.tb00114.x

Gaboury, I., Lejzerowicz, G., Chandavasu, N., Falzone, M., Green, T., Jones, D., Knight, B., Li, M., Monnat, L., Nusser, A., & Pitts, W. (2021). Using a change theory to promote cross-disciplinary research on the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 50(6), 778-802. https://doi.org/10.1177/08912416211000786

Hall-Lord, M. L., Holmefur, M., Gustafsson, B., Karlsson, L., Schoultz, M., Sebrant, T., & Larsson, E. (2021). Implementation of TeamSTEPPS in Swedish maternity and child health services: A qualitative study of the perceptions of interprofessional teamwork. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 35(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820.2020.1810789

Hodson, M. (2013). Compassion, caring and communication: Skills for nursing practice. Nursing Management, 20(6), 11-11. https://doi.org/10.7748/nm2013.10.20.6.11.s15

Kalra, J. (2011). Medical errors and patient safety. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110249507

Lagendijk, P. J., & Stegwee, R. A. (n.d.). Healthcare information and communication standards framework. Strategies for Healthcare Information Systems, 66-77. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-878289-89-6.ch005

Lance, D. M. (2021). Interprofessional communication strategies. Interprofessional Education and Collaboration, 145-162. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781718215504.ch-007

Nasarwanji, M. F., Badir, A., & Gurses, A. P. (2016). Standardizing handoff communication. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 31(3), 238-244. https://doi.org/10.1097/ncq.000000000000017

Real, K., & Buckner, M. M. (2014). Interprofessional communication. Health Communication, 147-178. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203366820-7

Woodham, M. (2023). Teamwork. Rural Healthcare, 114-124. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003302438-12