The healthcare organization that was studied for this interview is Presbyterian Homes and Services. This organization is aimed at providing a broad array of high-quality housing choices, care, and service options for older adults. The interviewee is a corporate director of clinical services. The ultimate responsibility for the planning and administration of clinical operations pertaining to the provision and flow of care services falls to the director of clinical services. In addition, the interviewee made it clear that this post requires substantial training in and expertise in health services planning. He personally holds a responsibility for financial outcomes of 11 nursing facilities and has a team of corporate nurses. According to the information obtained, the most relevant problems for the organizations are communication and dissemination of information. Since the interviewee has many facilities under his control, the organization struggles to handle communication effectively. Currently, the organization only follows a hierarchy culture, which is process-oriented. It is not enough since it lacks a goal that could be shared, which is the reason the communication is that difficult to handle. Interviewee indicated that he had interdisciplinary team experience, which he clarified is crucial to organize an effective operation of the organization. An interdisciplinary team in healthcare is composed of experts from several fields who collaborate to treat a patient with numerous physical and psychological demands. They complement one other’s areas of expertise by exchanging information and skills that might improve patient care.
Issue Identification
Based on the interview conducted, an interdisciplinary approach is appropriate to solve the problems of communication and dissemination of information. An interdisciplinary approach requires healthcare professionals to communicate to cooperate more efficiently in order to achieve a common goal, in this case, the patient’s health. In addition, this approach is notable to address the challenge of dissemination of information. Interdisciplinarity allows the use of information in a way to foster awareness and maintain the improvement of a patient’s physical and psychological well-being.
Change Theories That Could Lead to an Interdisciplinary Solution
A crucial aspect of nursing practice is change. When it comes to delivering high-quality patient care in rapidly changing healthcare contexts, nurse leaders face several difficulties.
The Change Theory in Nursing was developed by a prominent social psychologist Kurt Lewis in 1951. In healthcare settings, Lewin’s model of change is well-established and widely considered. He developed a three-stage change model (the unfreezing-change-refreezing model) to pinpoint and analyze the forces and variables that affect a circumstance (Wagner, 2018). According to the notion, decision-makers must dismiss their existing knowledge and replace it with new information. It is predicated on the notion that if one can recognize and assess the strength of various forces, they can then determine which forces should be weakened or enhanced in order to effect change.
The first stage is unfreezing, which entails figuring out a way to help people let go of previous behavioral patterns and make it easier for people to get over reluctance and group conformity. Disequilibrium disrupts the system at this point, allowing the identification of the driving factors behind the change and the anticipated restraints on it.
The process of changing one’s beliefs, feelings, or behaviors is covered in the second stage called change. Due to the degree of uncertainty and dread that change brings, this second stage is frequently the most challenging. To achieve the desired transformation, it is crucial to have a supportive team and open communication. Lewin referred to stage three as “refreezing,” which entails making the alteration into a new habit. The implementation of the change must be adjusted, which is why the third stage is required. If this step is successful, a new equilibrium state—the new norm or higher standard of performance expectation—will be created (Wagner, 2018). This approach can help in creating interdisciplinary solutions since its developmental stages contribute to reaching the maximum work and treatment effectiveness. It is feasible to extend professionals’ and patients’ knowledge of communication and work toward a shared objective by letting go of previous behavioral habits. The source of this information is credible since it was published as an academic book in 2018. Moreover, its author, Joan Wagner, is a retired Associate Professor with the Faculty of Nursing, University of Regina.
Leadership Strategies That Could Lead to an Interdisciplinary Solution
By analyzing what leadership strategy would be the most suitable to develop an interdisciplinary solution, transformational leadership can be a good assistance in this case.
In order to raise awareness about the value of the tasks completed and the quality of the work produced, as well as to defend the institution’s mission and the attainment of its objectives, a leader must engage in transformational leadership. It appears as a theoretical feature that suggests innovative ways of thinking and using this expertise in diverse settings, relevant to a variety of professions. This model also makes it possible to see each other’s interests on both personal and professional levels (Ferreira et al., 2020). Because of the theoretical backing, scope, and adaptability that this approach offers, transformational leadership with nurses in the hospital setting is crucial. Transformational leadership helps to create an interdisciplinary solution thanks to the involvement of employees with different backgrounds to reach a common goal. This strategy is relevant to the existing problem since it requires nurses to share their knowledge and thoughts which equals more productive communication and proper usage of the information existing. The article used is credible since it was published in 2020 and posted in an academic nursing journal.
Collaboration Approaches for Interdisciplinary Teams
In terms of healthcare leadership, collaboration approach is crucial in everyday practice and should be considered a core value of nursing. A larger definition of collaboration would include teamwork, respect, tolerance, understanding of others, role clarity, leadership, and dispute resolution. It requires professionals and patients to cooperate to get everyone involved to reach the established goals. In order to provide care based on shared decision-making and interdisciplinary cooperation, people must cooperate while respecting each other’s autonomy to understand each other’s needs (Wiltjer, 2019). Nurses must be able to work well with everyone on their team, despite the difficulties of an interdisciplinary approach, such as severe workloads or a lack of training. This is important because of the nature of their work, which frequently entails planning care processes, and because of their central role within the multidisciplinary team. People may learn how to accomplish and establish a shared objective by being more knowledgeable about the importance of healthy connections within a group. This approach is relevant because it ensures everyone within a workforce fit to provide fundamental care, which is an organizational and global nursing priority. The source is relevant since it is up to date and was published as an academic source in nursing.
References
Ferreira, V. B., Amestoy, S. C., & Reis da Silva, G. T. (2020). Transformational leadership in nursing practice: challenges and strategies.Associação Brasileira de Enfermagem, 73(6), 56–84.
Wagner, J. (2018). Leadership and influencing change in nursing. University of Regina Press.
Wiltjer, H. (2019). Why collaboration should count as a core value of nursing. Nursing Times, 113(12), 47-48.