Interprofessional and Collaborative Practice – Interprofessional Collaboration in Narcotic Waste Process Implementation

Stakeholder Interview Analysis

For this analysis, I interviewed K.P., a pharmacy director as mentioned in the project documents. The pharmacy director is one of the important non-nursing stakeholders. Thus, his insights are critical for the successful adoption of the standardized narcotic waste process. The interview primarily focused on the IPEC competency domain of Roles and Responsibilities, which is directed toward knowing not only one’s own profession but also that of others, as well as achieving health care needs holistically: Interprofessional and Collaborative Practice – Interprofessional Collaboration in Narcotic Waste Process Implementation.

Application of IPEC Competency Domain

The Roles and Responsibilities competency domain was particularly applicable during the interview with K.P. The pharmacy director stressed the critical intersection in drug’s life cycle management between the pharmacy department and nursing practice. K.P. stressed that the nurses are responsible for giving out medications and documenting the disposal of medications; however, the pharmacy department is key in ensuring that regulations are met and that drugs are distributed properly (Heier et al., 2024). This is in line with the tenet of IPEC that stresses the importance of knowing one’s role and that of other professions in the evaluation and intervention of health care problems.

The interview revealed several key insights about role delineation and shared responsibilities:

• The pharmacy department’s role in establishing verification protocols that complement nursing workflows
• Shared accountability between pharmacy and nursing for maintaining a controlled substance chain of custody
• The importance of collaborative training sessions that incorporate both pharmacy and nursing perspectives
• Joint responsibility for audit processes and compliance monitoring

K.P. also reiterated that communication problems across the departments need to be addressed, especially during violence or when issues arise. This understanding shaped how the project training and the project communication were to be undertaken.

Impact on Planned Change Outcomes

The outcome of the narcotic waste standardization project greatly relies on effective collaboration between nursing and pharmacy personnel. According to SAMHSA (2024), dealing with healthcare programs containing controlled substances requires all the units to function seamlessly as one to foster compliance and safety of the patients. The interview with K.P. points to a number of factors that affect the project outcomes based on interprofessional collaboration:

Firstly, the assistance of supermarkets in training lectures will improve nurses’ understanding of the rules. Such a common approach to education is appropriate for the objectives set out in the project timeline, namely the completion of education of 100% of the staff by January 31, 2025. The pharmacy director’s participation also guarantees that training materials are true representations of both departments and regulations.

Second, creating effective communication links between pharmacy and nursing departments will ensure the correction of documentation errors within the shortest time possible and help eliminate the lag in signing out the narcotic wastage. According to Alhur et al. (2024), interprofessional communication is crucial in reducing medication errors to a larger extent within a hospital setting. The interdepartmental coordination between nursing and pharmacy is of critical importance to the project’s success indicators, for example, meeting the two-nurse verification by 90 percent compliance.

Furthermore, pharmacy and nursing leadership’s joint responsibility to adhere to compliance monitoring will strengthen the audit process and facilitate achieving the target compliance rate of 90% for two-nurse verification requirements. Regular feedback loops between departments will support quick detection and rectification of process gaps. Noteworthy, K.P. recommended the formation of monthly joint review meetings to examine the audit results and processes where necessary.

Conclusion

The interview with K.P. emphasized the importance of interprofessional teamwork during his discussion on the introduction of the standardized narcotic waste process. Achieving this goal relies not only on the expertise of each department but also on the collaboration of roles and functions across the professions involved. It is expected that in the inception stages, where the visioning and planning of the project will begin, the central role of nurses and pharmacists will remain the same.

Thus, interprofessional collaboration should always be considered the focal aspect in realizing the objectives of the project and the desired outcomes. These insights gained from this interprofessional dialogue will assist the implementation plan and make certain that both departments’ interests are fairly balanced throughout the project lifecycle.

References

Alhur, A., Alhur, A. A., Al-Rowais, D., Asiri, S., Muslim, H., Alotaibi, D., Al-Rowais, B., Alotaibi, F., Al-Hussayein, S., Alamri, A., Faya, B., Rashoud, W., Alshahrani, R., Alsumait, N., & Alqhtani, H. (2024). Enhancing patient safety through effective interprofessional communication: A focus on medication error prevention. Cureus, 16(4) https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.57991

Heier, L., Schellenberger, B., Schippers, A., Nies, S., Geiser, F., & Ernstmann, N. (2024). Interprofessional communication skills training to improve medical students’ and nursing trainees’ error communication – Quasi-experimental pilot study. BMC Medical Education, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04997-5

SAMHSA. (2024, December 9). Statutes, regulations, and guidelines. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). https://www.samhsa.gov/medications-substance-use-disorders/statutes-regulations-guidelines

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Interprofessional and collaborative practice

Getting Started

Interprofessional teams are invaluable in the provision of quality, cost-effective healthcare.  Care providers from a multitude of disciplines, including nurses, physicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and pharmacists, collaborate to care for patients efficiently and effectively.  Often nurses serve as leaders of multidisciplinary teams.  As team leaders and participants, it is critically important that nurses understand the roles and responsibilities of the other professionals who comprise the team.

Upon successful completion of the course material, you will be able to:

• Discuss the significance of interprofessional team collaboration in a planned change initiative. 

Resources

• Textbook: Leading and Managing in Nursing
• Website: Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC)

Background Information

As you move forward with your planned change project, you will note that at each juncture collaboration occurs with a variety of stakeholders. Members of a healthy team demonstrate willingness to learn from one another through ongoing team interactions that foster familiarity and creative collaboration.  Through shared mission, cooperation, commitment, and willingness to take risks, a successful team can accomplish its goals and objectives.

In managing a planned change project, the astute leader is aware of aspects of teamwork that facilitate a healthy team dynamic.  Four core competencies related to ethics, roles, communication, and teamwork outlined by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative are essential to effective interprofessional collaborative practice.  For example, in establishing mutual trust, communications are clear, open, and truthful and the cultures of the various professions within the team are recognized and respected.

In this exercise, you will interview a stakeholder impacted by your proposed planned change project, then reflect on the interview in relation to the IPEC Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice.

Interprofessional and Collaborative Practice – Interprofessional Collaboration in Narcotic Waste Process Implementation

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.
2. Optional: Review Chapter 19 in the textbook, Leading and Managing in Nursing.
3. Visit the Interprofessional Education Collaborative website at https://www.ipecollaborative.org/core-competencies.
   1. Select the most recently updated version of the Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice document
   2. Read and review the four competency domains presented in the article.
4. Select one interprofessional colleague (NON-NURSING stakeholder) impacted by your planned change process and conduct an interview with that person.
5. Navigate to the threaded discussion and respond to the following:
   1. Based on your stakeholder interview, apply and discuss one of the four competency domains essential to interactions with this stakeholder.
   2. Discuss how the outcome of the planned change process will be impacted by interprofessional collaboration/communication.
   3. Cite and reference a minimum of two sources for your initial posting.
6. Your initial post is due by the end of the fourth day of the workshop.
7. Read and respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings by the end of the workshop.  You are encouraged to respond to instructor follow-up questions directed to you.
8. Your postings should also:
   1. Be well developed by providing clear answers with evidence of critical thinking.
   2. Your observations should add greater depth to the discussion by introducing new ideas.
   3. Provide clarification to classmates’ questions and provide insight into the discussion.
   4. Be posted on two different days during the workshop.