Introduction
For this assignment, I conducted an interview with a friend about health issues inherent in our facility. The interviewee works in the postoperative care unit and performs a variety of tasks, including monitoring the patient’s vital signs and neurologic status, assessing the surgical site, reporting symptoms, and managing pain. During the interview, several problems were highlighted as having severe negative effects on patient outcomes. These problems typically arise during care and include hospital-acquired infections, commonly referred to as nosocomial infections. Also known as a healthcare-associated infection (HAI), it is contracted by individuals during medical or surgical procedures.
Urinary tract infections (UTIs), bloodstream infections (BSIs), and surgical site infections (SSIs) are examples of common HAIs. The interviewee emphasized the need to address SSIs, noting that this issue could be solved through an interdisciplinary approach. Our facility uses some methods to reduce the prevalence of SSIs, such as prophylactic antibiotic treatment, wearing personal protective equipment, and skin washing. These approaches enhance postoperative patient care outcomes, and since our facility usually embraces collaboration, they can be considered an additional measure.
Issue Identification
Surgical site infections (SSIs) can be addressed using an evidence-based interdisciplinary approach. According to researchers, SSIs are associated with longer lengths of stay, higher costs, increased mortality, and readmissions, so their high incidence negatively affects health care (Jones & Villavaso, 2017). The authors list measures to reduce the prevalence of SSIs, such as avoiding inappropriate hair removal, practicing hand hygiene, and ensuring appropriate selection, timing, and dosage of medications (Jones & Villavaso, 2017).
Care team collaboration can improve the efficacy of these measures because patients require the vigilance of various healthcare professionals across different stages of accessing medical services. Therefore, if all these professionals cooperate in applying these measures, the likelihood of avoiding SSIs grows. Thus, it is valid to use interdisciplinary practice to enhance care and lower the prevalence of SSIs.
Change Theories Laying a Foundation for an Interdisciplinary Solution
Some change theories can be quite effective in developing an interdisciplinary solution to the identified issue. For instance, Kurt Lewin’s change theory may be applied to improve the collaborative approach to resolving SSIs. Lewin’s theory of change states that there are three stages of change: unfreezing, changing, and refreezing (Rwafa-Ponela et al., 2020). Its foundation lies in fostering the idea that change is required by acknowledging current issues and taking a fresh approach to them.
The latest approach is then strengthened and maintained as the new standard of operation (Rwafa-Ponela et al., 2020). The idea is well-suited to interdisciplinary collaboration, as it calls for a team approach to postoperative patient care to prevent surgical site infections. Additionally, it will enable the assessment of the modification, the implementation of remedial measures, and the strengthening of successful practices. The source is credible because it is published in an academic journal, includes numerous references, and explains the theory’s application in detail.
Leadership Strategies Useful for Development of an Interdisciplinary Solution
Leadership techniques are crucial for interdisciplinary collaboration to succeed because they can foster a culture that inspires the care team members to provide high-quality care through cooperation. Leadership focuses on motivating employees to strive towards shared objectives through goal-setting, assistance, and guidance (Finkelman, 2024). Therefore, some leadership techniques that can improve multidisciplinary cooperation are good communication, staff training, and collaborative decision-making.
Making shared decisions is essential to disciplinary practice, as it ensures that every team member is actively involved in developing the patient care plan and leads to increased output and morale. Proper communication ensures that the care team members exchange the information necessary to provide patients with the treatment and support they need (Pullon et al., 2016). When everyone has access to the information they need, client outcomes improve, and effective treatment is promoted.
Staff mentoring and training are crucial because they equip team members with the tools they need to work together, share information, and support one another. Additionally, workplace education provides them with the practical knowledge they need to deliver high-quality services. To address SSIs, employees need to cooperate, make shared decisions, receive training, and communicate effectively to be productive in multidisciplinary teams. The sources by Finkelman (2024) and Pullon et al. (2016) are good for understanding this matter because they are high-quality, written by professionals, and offer insights into the topic.
Approaches to Collaboration in Interdisciplinary Teams
Adopting different collaboration methods is significant since it can improve interdisciplinary cooperation and make it easier for the team to handle SSIs in the facility. For instance, some efficient strategies include ensuring role clarity, fostering mutual respect among the care team members, and improving group leadership. Firstly, cooperation is easier and more productive when roles are clearly established, ensuring every team member is aware of their specific role in achieving the common objective. Therefore, to address SSIs, every person in the medical team must know their responsibility in preventing the infection.
Furthermore, interdisciplinary collaboration relies heavily on collective leadership, as it ensures shared accountability and reduces pressure on any single individual. While each person in the group should be aware of their own job, they should also share duties to maintain engagement among all members and be able to step in if someone needs assistance (Ansa et al., 2020). Additionally, this boosts engagement, enabling team members to provide care more effectively and lower the frequency of SSIs.
Furthermore, Ansa et al. (2020) state that respect for one another is essential to collaborative practice because it lets participants overcome their differences and provide high-quality care. Even when colleagues cannot always understand one another or share the same values, mutual respect can help ensure disagreements are resolved amicably. It can also ensure that team diversity and differing points of view are valued assets and that everyone remains committed to providing their patients with high-quality care. The cited article is a good source for understanding the benefits of cooperation among healthcare workers.
References
Ansa, B. E., Zechariah, S., Gates, A. M., Johnson, S. W., Heboyan, V., & De Leo, G. (2020). Attitudes and behavior towards interprofessional collaboration among healthcare professionals in a large academic medical center. Healthcare, 8(3), 323.
Finkelman, A. (2024). Leadership and management for nurses: Core competencies for quality care (5th ed.). Pearson.
Jones, N. J., & Villavaso, C. D. (2017). An interprofessional team approach to decreasing surgical site infection after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America, 29(1), 1–13.
Pullon, S., Morgan, S., Macdonald, L., McKinlay, E., & Gray, B. (2016). Observation of interprofessional collaboration in primary care practice: A multiple case study. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 30(6), 787-794.
Rwafa-Ponela, T., Eyles, J., Christofides, N., & Goudge, J. (2020). Implementing without guidelines, learning at the coalface: A case study of health promoters in an era of community health workers in South Africa. Health Research Policy and Systems, 18(1), 46.
