Interdisciplinary Plan Proposal

Enhancing patient care and organizational outcomes is a vital part of healthcare delivery, and doing so necessitates the collaboration of healthcare experts from several disciplines (Munro et al., 2020). A nursing colleague recently revealed in a recent interview an organizational issue in which a lack of collaboration between departments and specializations resulted in poor patient outcomes. To address this issue, an evidence-based multidisciplinary plan for enhancing patient care and organizational outcomes is recommended. This plan seeks to leverage interdisciplinary collaboration, change theory, and leadership strategies to ensure effective communication and coordination among healthcare professionals. This submission uncovers the proposed plan's aim, projections, collaboration, organizational resources, and implications for achieving the intended objectives.

Objective and Predictions for an Evidence-Based Interdisciplinary Plan

The evidence-based interdisciplinary plan's objective is to improve patient care and organizational outcomes through improved communication and coordination among healthcare professionals. The plan suggests using an interdisciplinary approach to patient care, which entails treatment coordination among various healthcare experts such as doctors, nurses, social health workers, and therapists. This approach strives to provide comprehensive and holistic patient care while improving patient outcomes and lowering healthcare expenditures. This plan recommends many interventions to reach the objective including the adoption of shared decision-making, the use of clear communication channels, and the integration of technology to improve communication and coordination across hospital departments. The plan also proposes the creation of interdisciplinary teams, which will be responsible for coordinating patient care across different specialties, and the implementation of regular interdisciplinary meetings to facilitate communication and coordination among healthcare professionals.

This multidisciplinary plan's predictions are encouraging, with predicted improvements in patient outcomes and organizational efficiency. The initiative intends to enhance the quality of patient care, minimize hospital stays, and avoid readmissions by using the expertise of diverse healthcare professionals. The interdisciplinary approach has been demonstrated to improve patient outcomes, increase treatment quality, and reduce healthcare costs (Arthur et al., 2018). This plan intends to eliminate medical errors, improve patient satisfaction, and foster teamwork among healthcare workers by establishing shared decision-making and transparent communication channels. The use of technology for better communication and coordination across hospital departments is also expected to have a substantial influence on patient outcomes and organizational productivity. Electronic health records and other technology solutions have been demonstrated in studies to increase patient safety, minimize medical mistakes, and improve communication among healthcare workers (Rathert et al., 2019).

Applicable Change Management Theory and Leadership Strategy

Lewin's change management model is the most likely to benefit the interdisciplinary team in successfully collaborating and implementing the project plan. This theory is divided into three parts: unfreezing, changing, and refreezing. Unfreezing entails raising awareness of the need for change and deconstructing one's existing mentality or habit. Changing entails putting the intended change into action, whereas refreezing entails stabilizing the change and incorporating it into the new mindset or conduct (Ellis & Abbott, 2018). To apply this theory to the interdisciplinary team, the first step is to create awareness of the need for change to unfreeze the existing attitude and behavior. This will be done by sharing data on the negative impact of poor communication and coordination on patient outcomes and organizational efficiency. The interdisciplinary team will then discuss how the suggested approach can improve patient care and organizational results. The second step of Lewin's change management model is changing hence the interdisciplinary team will be included in the plan's development and execution stages. Each team will be responsible for a specific component of the strategy, such as the formation of multidisciplinary teams or the implementation of shared decision-making. The multidisciplinary team's engagement in the design and implementation of the suggested plan will help to establish buy-in for the project, improving the chance of success. Refreezing is the final stage in Lewin's change management model, which entails stabilizing the change and incorporating it into the new approach or routine hence the interdisciplinary team will be involved in the plan's evaluation and tracking. The team will have to get regular feedback identifying progress and opportunities for growth. It will serve to reinforce the new thinking or practice, thereby incorporating the suggested strategy into the hospital's culture.

Transformational leadership is the most appropriate leadership method to assist the interdisciplinary team in successfully collaborating and implementing the project plan. Transformational leadership entails inspiring and encouraging followers to work toward a shared purpose and providing them with the means and assistance they need to do so (Ferreira et al., 2020). The four components of transformative leadership include idealized influence, inspiring motivation, intellectual stimulation, and customized consideration. Leading by example and serving as a role model for followers are examples of idealized influence. Inspirational motivation involves inspiring and motivating followers to achieve a common goal. Encourage followers' creativity and ingenuity through intellectual stimulation. Personalized attention entails offering each follower personalized assistance and mentoring. The interdisciplinary team leader will encourage and motivate team members to cooperate and implement the given strategy by using a transformational leadership style. The leader can serve as a role model for the team members by demonstrating the desired behaviors, such as effective communication and collaboration. The leader can also provide the team members with the resources and support they need to attain the shared goal. The leader will stimulate team members' creativity and innovation by facilitating brainstorming and idea-sharing sessions. Lastly, the leader will offer personalized assistance and coaching to each team member, ensuring that each member's specific needs are met.

Collaboration Needed by the Interdisciplinary Team

The interdisciplinary team's collaboration required to increase the chance of attaining the plan's aim includes effective communication, collaborative decision-making, and the organization of interdisciplinary teams. To ensure that all team members are informed of the patient's condition, treatment plan, and progress, effective communication is necessary. Effective communication between healthcare professionals from diverse disciplines, according to Bligaard and Burau (2021), is vital to successful interdisciplinary collaboration. Standardized communication tools, such as SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation), can help team members communicate more effectively (Felipe et al., 2022). Another important feature of interdisciplinary collaboration is shared decision-making. Shared decision-making entails including the patient and their family, as well as healthcare professionals from many disciplines, in the decision-making process. Shared decision-making, according to Munro et al. (2020), can improve patient satisfaction, save healthcare costs, and improve treatment quality. The use of decision aids, such as decision trees, can benefit healthcare professionals and patients to achieve shared decisions (Wolfenden et al., 2020). Another significant feature of interdisciplinary collaboration is the organization of interdisciplinary teams. Interdisciplinary teams are made up of healthcare specialists from several professions who collaborate to coordinate patient treatment. Interdisciplinary teams, according to Arthur et al. (2018), can improve patient outcomes, increase treatment quality, and save healthcare expenditures. The interdisciplinary teams will be organized by establishing each team member's tasks and responsibilities, giving training on effective communication and cooperation, and appointing a team leader to support team coordination (Ferreira et al., 2020).

Analysis of Organizational Resources

Financial, technological, and human resources are among the organizational resources essential for the plan's success. Financial resources are required to fund the implementation of the proposed interventions, such as the creation of interdisciplinary teams, the integration of technology, and the training of healthcare professionals. To increase communication and coordination among healthcare providers, technological resources such as electronic health records and communication tools are necessary. Human resources are essential to guarantee that there are enough healthcare experts to provide patients with comprehensive care (Jacob et al., 2020). The financial budget needed for the plan to succeed is determined by the scope of the suggested interventions as well as the size of the healthcare organization. The cost of forming multidisciplinary teams, integrating technology, and educating healthcare personnel varies according to the size and complexity of the healthcare institution. Even so, the cost of failing to implement the proposed plan can be enormous. Medical errors, longer hospital stays, and increased healthcare expenses can all result from poor communication and collaboration among healthcare personnel (Collett et al., 2019). They can have a detrimental influence on the reputation and financial success of the healthcare institution. The consequences of failing to implement the planned strategy could extend beyond the healthcare organization to patients and their families. Poor communication and coordination among healthcare professionals can result in a lack of continuity of care, reduced patient satisfaction, and compromised patient safety. These can harm the patient's quality of life and the healthcare organization's reputation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the proposed evidence-based interdisciplinary plan aims to improve patient care and organizational outcomes by enhancing communication and coordination among healthcare professionals. The interdisciplinary team will collaborate and effectively implement the presented plan by using Lewin's change management model and transformational leadership. Interdisciplinary collaboration requires effective communication, collaborative decision-making, and the organization of interdisciplinary teams. Financial, technological, and human resources are among the organizational resources essential for the plan's success. The financial budget necessary to accomplish the proposed plan should be reasonable and take into consideration the present financial status of the healthcare institution. Investing in the suggested plan is necessary for enhancing patient care and organizational outcomes, and the cost of failing to implement the recommended plan can be severe. Implementing the proposed plan would allow healthcare organizations to improve patient outcomes, improve overall quality, and reduce healthcare costs, leading to enhanced patient satisfaction and a more efficient healthcare system.

References

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