An Interdisciplinary Team in the Emergency Department

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Questions and Predictions
Change Theories and Leadership Strategies
Team Collaboration Strategy
Collaboration Approach
Required Organizational Resources
Conclusion
References

Introduction

An interview was conducted with a nurse in the emergency department to identify the organization’s problems. The discussion demonstrated two issues faced by the medical staff: the uncertainty of staff roles and the uncertainty of leadership in nursing practice. To address both problems, it is proposed to introduce interdisciplinary teams in the emergency department since this part of the medical organization especially needs well-coordinated work with the precise distribution of roles for quick decision-making. The expected result of the initiative should be faster and more accurate work, increased speed of decision-making, improved emergency care rates, and more positive patient outcomes.

Objective: the plan involves the introduction of an interdisciplinary team in the emergency department. It is expected that the proposed initiative will define the positions of the nurse in the unit and contribute to a transparent distribution of the roles of medical personnel. The proposed plan is expected to increase the speed of organizing patient care and decision-making, reducing the number of deaths in the emergency department.

Questions and Predictions

Is it possible to implement the proposed strategy?

The proposed strategy can be successfully implemented in the emergency department. Its implementation will not require high financial costs since the necessary professionals are already on the team; only competent management actions and educational activities are needed. Convincing management of the plan’s effectiveness is not challenging, and the medical staff should also not be against it since the strategy will bring patient care to the best level.

Is the proposed strategy helpful?

The proposed interdisciplinary approach in the field of medical care is practical. Firstly, it will significantly save time since roles in a team of specialists often overlap, and a clear organization will help to avoid this. Within the framework, when each specialist is responsible for their specific area, the speed of decision-making increases. Within the framework of interdisciplinary teams, the nurse acts as a link and can realize her professional qualities, increasing the level of care for the patient.

How can it be addressed to the staff and leaders?

One of the critical points in implementing the strategy is convincing management and staff of the need for change. It should be obvious to staff that a system that saves time for medical professionals should benefit patients’ health. Leadership must recognize the need for change and the ability to address ambiguous roles by introducing interdisciplinary teams. The costs of strategy implementation are not high but save human resources.

Change Theories and Leadership Strategies

The theory is a set of data that can be implemented in practice. A strategy is a non-detailed action plan based on theoretical data. The planned change approach focuses on nurses’ roles as agents of change (Udod & Wagner, 2018). It will help the collaboration of interdisciplinary teams as it already defines the part of the nurse and will allow management uncertainty to be resolved. Diffusion theory explains how existing solutions can be upgraded to fit a change plan (Udod & Wagner, 2018). The approach is helpful because it will allow management to communicate the possibility of implementing the project without high costs or drastic changes. Interdisciplinary teams need a strong leader to ensure that all parties are involved in solving a particular problem (Zajac et al., 2021). A prerequisite for the functioning of interdisciplinary teams is to achieve a sense of cohesion, which the leader must provide.

Team Collaboration Strategy

Teamwork is one of the best collaboration approaches used in interdisciplinary work. In teamwork, participants know the roles, tasks, and responsibilities distribution. To organize effective teamwork, at least one manager will be required to lead organizational activities. The task is to analyze each case, determine the roles of medical personnel, and decide on the staffing for the patient’s treatment. Medical specialists should perform functions that are usually part of their specialty, and the nurse should act as a link that establishes communication between team members.

Collaboration Approach

Team collaboration is a management approach in which people with complementary skills work together to achieve common goals. The teamwork approach involves collaboration, where everyone knows all their skill sets and contributions. The team leader usually leads the group toward effective collaboration and is responsible for maintaining balance. To organize an interdisciplinary strategy, it is proposed to use the core and coordination types of teams. The core groups consist directly of the personnel providing medical care; the coordinating ones are responsible for resource management.

Required Organizational Resources

To start the plan’s implementation, organizing one interdisciplinary team for the emergency department is proposed. It is assumed that the staff in the organization already exists; only competent leadership is required. A hired manager can become a leader of an interdisciplinary team. No new equipment will be necessary: the organization will work in existing conditions; no special access is required. The salary for a healthcare management position is about $80,000 per year (Phillips et al., 2018). Staff training is proposed to be carried out with the involvement of specialists in this field, which can cost about $ 100,000 per employee involved per year. If the plan fails, the organization will lose only the funds invested in paying the hired manager. Funds invested in staff education will pay off by increasing the efficiency of their work.

Conclusion

Thus, the proposed plan for introducing an interdisciplinary approach to organizing the work of emergency department employees is effective. First, it allows the management to clearly define roles, allowing the medical professionals to work faster and more efficiently. This approach saves resources and increases the chances of a patient’s recovery. To get started, it is proposed to create one interdisciplinary team, which is not too expensive even if the strategy fails.

References

Phillips, T., Evans, J. L., Tooley, S., & Shirey, M. R. (2018). Nurse manager succession planning: A cost–benefit analysis. Journal of nursing management, 26(2), 238-243.

Udod, S., & Wagner, J. (2018). Common change theories and application to different nursing situations. In J. Wagner, Leadership and influencing change in nursing (chapter 9).

Zajac, S., Woods, A., Tannenbaum, S., Salas, E., & Holladay, C. L. (2021). Overcoming challenges to teamwork in healthcare: A team effectiveness framework and evidence-based guidance. Frontiers in Communication, 6(1), 1-20.

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