Interview and Interdisciplinary Issue Identification in Healthcare Organizations

Interview and Interdisciplinary Issue Identification in Healthcare Organizations

This assignment addresses the complex challenges faced by healthcare organizations, focusing on the issue of long shifts among nurses. Through interviews, literature review, and analysis, it explores interdisciplinary approaches, change theories, leadership strategies, and collaboration frameworks to develop effective solutions. By addressing these organizational issues, healthcare systems can enhance patient care quality and nurse well-being.

Interview Summary

In the interview with Maria RN, an ADN staff nurse, the focus was on exploring past or current issues related to long shifts among nurses in a healthcare organization. Maria works at a large hospital known for its high patient volume and demanding workload. As a staff nurse, her roles involve providing direct patient care, collaborating with the healthcare team, and implementing nursing interventions. The relevant issues discussed during the interview revolved around the challenges associated with extended work shifts. Maria highlighted the impact of long shifts on nurses’ well-being, fatigue levels, and overall job satisfaction. She expressed concerns about the potential negative effects on patient care quality and safety due to nurse burnout and exhaustion. Maria shared that the organization has implemented various strategies in the past to address these issues, including periodic wellness programs and occasional shift rotations. However, she noted that these initiatives could have been more consistently effective in mitigating the challenges associated with long shifts. There was a sense that more comprehensive measures were needed.

In terms of organizational culture related to collaboration, Maria highlighted a generally supportive environment where teamwork is encouraged. However, she noted that the collaborative efforts only sometimes extended to addressing the specific challenges of long shifts. The focus had been more on immediate patient care needs rather than the broader impact of extended work hours on both nurses and patient outcomes.

Maria needed more experience with interdisciplinary collaboration, specifically addressing the challenges of long shifts. While there was acknowledgment of the importance of teamwork, the initiatives appeared somewhat siloed. There was room for improvement in fostering collaboration among different departments, including nursing, administration, and human resources, to develop more holistic solutions for managing nurse work hours and ensuring optimal patient care.

Issue Identification from the Interview

One issue identified from the interview with Maria, RN, for which an evidence-based interdisciplinary approach would be appropriate is the management of long shifts among nurses. For several reasons, an interdisciplinary approach involving collaboration between nursing staff, administration, human resources, and possibly other relevant departments would be beneficial.

Firstly, addressing the challenges of long shifts requires a multifaceted approach that considers various factors impacting nurses’ well-being and patient care quality. An interdisciplinary team can bring together diverse perspectives and expertise to develop comprehensive strategies that address extended work hours’ physical, emotional, and organizational aspects (Gifkins, et al., 2020). For example, while nursing staff may provide insights into the direct impact of long shifts on patient care and staff morale, human resources professionals can offer expertise in workforce management and scheduling practices.

Secondly, an interdisciplinary approach allows for the integration of evidence-based practices from multiple disciplines. Each department or profession may contribute valuable research findings and best practices relevant to their area of expertise (Gifkins, et al., 2020). By synthesizing this evidence, the interdisciplinary team can develop solutions that are grounded in research and tailored to the specific needs of the organization and its nursing staff.

Furthermore, collaboration across departments fosters a sense of ownership and collective responsibility for addressing the issue of long shifts. When individuals from different disciplines are actively involved in problem-solving and decision-making processes, there is greater buy-in and commitment to implementing changes (Gifkins, et al., 2020). This collaborative approach can lead to more sustainable and effective solutions that all stakeholders support.

Change Theories that Could Lead to an Interdisciplinary Solution

One change theory that could inform an interdisciplinary solution to the organizational issue of long shifts among nurses is the Prosci ADKAR Model. The ADKAR Model focuses on individual change management and outlines five key elements: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement (Paramitha et al., 2020).

The ADKAR Model could help create an interdisciplinary solution by providing a structured framework for understanding and addressing the challenges associated with long shifts among nurses. Each element of the model corresponds to specific actions and strategies that interdisciplinary teams can implement collaboratively (Paramitha et al., 2020). For example, in the Awareness stage, interdisciplinary teams can work together to raise awareness among nurses, administrators, and other stakeholders about the negative effects of long shifts on nurse well-being and patient care quality. This may involve sharing data, research findings, and testimonials to highlight the importance of addressing the issue (Paramitha et al., 2020).

In the Desire stage, teams can focus on creating a shared desire for change by involving nurses and other stakeholders in decision-making processes and soliciting their input on potential solutions. This participatory approach fosters buy-in and commitment to implementing interdisciplinary solutions (Paramitha et al., 2020). The ADKAR Model is highly relevant to the specific identified issue of long shifts among nurses as it addresses the individual and organizational barriers to change. Consistently, the source by Paramitha et al. (2020) is credible because it is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal.

Leadership Strategies that Could Lead to an Interdisciplinary Solution

One potential leadership strategy that could inform an interdisciplinary solution to the organizational issue of long shifts among nurses is servant leadership. Servant leadership emphasizes the leader’s focus on serving the needs of others and facilitating their growth and development (Raffenaud et al., 2020). Servant leadership could create an interdisciplinary solution by fostering a collaborative and supportive environment where the well-being of nurses and the quality of patient care are prioritized. Leaders who adopt a servant leadership approach actively listen to the concerns and ideas of interdisciplinary team members, empowering them to contribute to the development of solutions (Raffenaud et al., 2020).

Additionally, servant leaders demonstrate empathy and compassion towards nurses experiencing the challenges of long shifts, recognizing the importance of addressing their needs for work-life balance and job satisfaction. By prioritizing the welfare of nurses, servant leaders inspire trust and commitment among interdisciplinary team members, facilitating their engagement in finding innovative and effective solutions to the issue (Raffenaud et al., 2020).

The relevance of servant leadership to the identified issue lies in its emphasis on creating a positive organizational culture that values the contributions of all team members and promotes collaboration across disciplines. Notably, the article by Raffenaud et al (2020) is credible because it is current for my topic.

Collaboration Approaches for Interdisciplinary Teams

One collaboration approach from the literature that could facilitate establishing or improving an interdisciplinary team to address the organizational issue of long shifts among nurses is the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) framework. The IPEC framework emphasizes the importance of integrating education and practice across healthcare disciplines to promote collaborative teamwork and improve patient outcomes (Zorek et al., 2021).

The IPEC framework could help establish or improve collaboration by providing a structured approach to developing interdisciplinary teams and fostering a culture of collaboration within healthcare organizations. By incorporating interprofessional education into nursing and healthcare training programs, future nurses and healthcare professionals can learn the value of teamwork, communication, and mutual respect for diverse perspectives (Zorek et al., 2021).

Additionally, the IPEC framework encourages ongoing collaboration through shared learning experiences, interdisciplinary workshops, and collaborative practice opportunities. By engaging nurses, physicians, administrators, and other healthcare professionals in joint educational and practice activities, organizations can build trust, enhance communication, and improve teamwork skills among interdisciplinary team members (Zorek et al., 2021).

The relevance of the IPEC framework to the identified issue of long shifts among nurses lies in its emphasis on collaboration and teamwork across healthcare disciplines. Following this, the article by Zorek et al. (2021) is credible because the authors are reputable, and the article is valid and applicable today.

Conclusion

In conclusion, addressing organizational issues such as long shifts among nurses requires interdisciplinary collaboration, evidence-based approaches, and effective leadership strategies. By integrating change theories, leadership principles, and collaboration frameworks, healthcare organizations can develop comprehensive solutions to improve nurse well-being and patient care quality, ultimately enhancing healthcare delivery’s overall effectiveness and sustainability.

References

Gifkins, J., Johnston, A., Loudoun, R., & Troth, A. (2020). Fatigue and recovery in shift working nurses: A scoping literature review. International journal of nursing Studies, 112, 103710. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103710

Paramitha, T. A., Tobing, D. K., & Suroso, I. (2020). ADKAR Model to Manage Organizational Change. International Journal of Research Science and Management, 7(1), 141-149.

Raffenaud, A., Unruh, L., Fottler, M., Liu, A. X., & Andrews, D. (2020). A comparative analysis of work-family conflict among staff, managerial, and executive nurses. Nursing Outlook, 68(2), 231-241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2019.08.003

Zorek, J. A., Lacy, J., Gaspard, C., Najjar, G., Eickhoff, J., & Ragucci, K. R. (2021). Leveraging the interprofessional education collaborative competency framework to transform health professions education. American journal of pharmaceutical education, 85(7). https://doi.org/10.5688%

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For this assessment, you will create a 2–4 page report on an interview you have conducted with a health care professional. You will identify an issue from the interview that could be improved with an interdisciplinary approach, and review best practices and evidence to address the issue.

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Introduction
As a baccalaureate-prepared nurse, your participation and leadership in interdisciplinary teams will be vital to the health outcomes for your patients and organization. One way to approach designing an improvement project is to use the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement describes it thus:

The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle is shorthand for testing a change in the real work setting—by planning it, trying it, observing the results, and acting on what is learned. This is the scientific method adapted for action-oriented learning…Essentially, the PDSA cycle helps you test out change ideas on a smaller scale before evaluating the results and making adjustments before potentially launching into a somewhat larger scale project (n.d.).
You might also recognize that the PDSA cycle resembles the nursing process. The benefit of gaining experience with this model of project design is that it provides nurses with an opportunity to ideate and lead improvements. For this assessment, you will not be implementing all of the PDSA cycle. Instead, you are being asked to interview a healthcare professional of your choice to determine what kind of interdisciplinary problem he or she is experiencing or has experienced in the workplace. This interview, in Assessment 2, will inform the research that you will conduct to propose a plan for interdisciplinary collaboration in Assessment 3.

It would be an excellent choice to complete the PDSA Cycle activity prior to developing the report. The activity consists of four questions that create the opportunity to check your understanding of best practices related to each stage of the PDSA cycle. The information gained from completing this formative will promote your success with the Interview and Interdisciplinary Issue Identification report. This will take just a few minutes of your time and is not graded.

Reference
Institute for Healthcare Improvement. (n.d.). How to improve. http://www.ihi.org/resources/Pages/HowtoImprove/default.aspx

Demonstration of Proficiency
Competency 2: Explain how interdisciplinary collaboration can be used to achieve desired patient and systems outcomes.
Summarize an interview focused on past or current issues at a health care organization.
Describe collaboration approaches from the literature that could be relevant in establishing or improving an interdisciplinary team to address an organizational issue.
Competency 3: Describe ways to incorporate evidence-based practice within an interdisciplinary team.
Identify an issue from an interview for which an evidence-based interdisciplinary approach would be appropriate.
Competency 4: Explain how change management theories and leadership strategies can enable interdisciplinary teams to achieve specific organizational goals.
Describe change theories and a leadership strategy that could help develop an interdisciplinary solution to an organizational issue.
Competency 5: Apply professional, scholarly, evidence-based communication strategies to impact patient, interdisciplinary team, and systems outcomes.
Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions; contains few errors in grammar/punctuation, word choice, and spelling.
Apply APA formatting to in-text citations and references, exhibiting nearly flawless adherence to APA format.
Professional Context
This assessment will introduce the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) Model to create change in an organization. By interviewing a colleague of your choice, you will begin gathering information about an interprofessional collaboration problem that your colleague is experiencing or has experienced. You will identify a change theory and leadership strategies to help solve this problem.

Scenario
This assessment is the first of three related assessments in which you will gather interview information (Assessment 2); design a proposal for interdisciplinary problem-solving, (Assessment 3); and report on how an interdisciplinary improvement plan could be implemented in a place of practice (Assessment 4). At the end of the course, your interviewee will have a proposal plan based on the PDSA cycle that he or she could present to stakeholders to address an interdisciplinary problem in the workplace.

For this assessment, you will need to interview a health care professional such as a fellow learner, nursing colleague, administrator, business partner, or another appropriate person who could provide you with sufficient information regarding an organizational problem that he or she is experiencing or has experienced, or an area where they are seeking improvements. Consult the Interview Guide [DOCX] Download Interview Guide [DOCX]for an outline of how to prepare and the types of information you will need to complete this project successfully.

Remember: this is just the first in a series of three assessments.

Instructions
For this assessment, you will report on the information that you collected in your interview, analyzing the interview data and identifying a past or current issue that would benefit from an interdisciplinary approach. This could be an issue that has not been addressed by an interdisciplinary approach or one that could benefit from improvements related to the interdisciplinary approach currently being used. You will discuss the interview strategy that you used to collect information. Your interview strategy should be supported by citations from the literature. Additionally, you will start laying the foundation for your Interdisciplinary Plan Proposal (Assessment 3) by researching potential change theories, leadership strategies, and collaboration approaches that could be relevant to the issue you have identified. Please be certain to review the scoring guide to confirm specific required elements of this assessment. Note that there are differences between basic, proficient, and distinguished scores.

When submitting your plan, use the Interview and Issue Identification Template [DOCX], and Download Interview and Issue Identification Template [DOCX], which will help you to stay organized and concise. As you complete the template, make sure you use APA format for in-text citations for the evidence and best practices that are informing your plan, as well as for the reference list at the end.

Additionally, be sure to address the following, which corresponds to the grading criteria in the scoring guide. Please study the scoring guide carefully so you understand what is needed for a distinguished score.

Summarize an interview focused on past or current issues at a healthcare organization.
Identify an issue from an interview for which an evidence-based interdisciplinary approach would be appropriate.
Describe potential change theories and leadership strategies that could inform an interdisciplinary solution to an organizational issue.
Describe collaboration approaches from the literature that could facilitate establishing or improving an interdisciplinary team to address an organizational issue.
Communicate with writing that is clear, logically organized, and professional, with correct grammar and spelling, and using current APA style.
Additional Requirements
Length of submission: Use the provided template. Most submissions will be 2–4 pages in length. Be sure to include a reference page at the end of the plan.
Number of references: Cite a minimum of 3 sources of scholarly or professional evidence that support your central ideas. Resources should be no more than 5 years old.
APA formatting: Make sure that in-text citations and reference lists follow the current APA style.
Portfolio Prompt: Remember to save the final assessment to your ePortfolio so that you may refer to it as you complete the final Capstone course.

Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:

Competency 2: Explain how interdisciplinary collaboration can be used to achieve desired patient and system outcomes.
Summarize an interview focused on past or current issues at a healthcare organization.
Describe collaborative approaches from the literature that could be relevant in establishing or improving an interdisciplinary team to address an organizational issue.
Competency 3: Describe ways to incorporate evidence-based practice within an interdisciplinary team.
Identify an issue from an interview for which an evidence-based interdisciplinary approach would be appropriate
Competency 4: Explain how change management theories and leadership strategies can enable interdisciplinary teams to achieve specific organizational goals.
Describe potential change theories and leadership strategies that could help develop an interdisciplinary solution to an organizational issue.
Competency 5: Apply professional, scholarly, evidence-based communication strategies to impact patient, interdisciplinary team, and systems outcomes.
Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions; contain few errors in grammar/punctuation, word choice, and spelling.
Apply APA formatting to in-text citations and references exhibiting nearly flawless adherence to APA format.