Interprofessional Collaboration and Advanced Nursing Practice

Evaluate interprofessional collaboration related to acute care hospital nursing practice experience. Interprofessional Collaboration and Advanced Nursing Practice Evaluate interprofessional collaboration related to acute care nursing practice experience. Provide an example that illustrates how to use interprofessional collaboration within nursing practice.

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Collaboration between providers of healthcare services has been described as essential for the efficient and effective delivery of care (Bankston & Glazer, 2013). Complicated medical issues are best solved by interprofessional collaboration in nursing practice (Bridges et al., 2011). DAmour and colleagues who state that there are increasingly complex health problems that challenge modern day healthcare providers, therefore creating a need for interdependency between them (2005), further assert this observation. Bankston and Glazer observe that interdisciplinary approach has been attributed to increased success in key dimensions of organizational performance (2013). An example of interprofessional collaboration would be a doctor, nurse, physical therapist, occupational therapist, and pharmacist working together to carry out an individualized plan of care in order to improve a patient's health status.

The changes in the environment that healthcare providers have to work in have been at the front of promoting interprofessional collaboration (Bankston & Glazer, 2013). Fast development in biomedical, clinical and information technology, economic pressure, the needs of consumers, and changes in demographics have altered the landscape for health practitioners. As a result, healthcare executives, college deans, practicing nurses, physicians, and other healthcare professionals are faced with challenges that are unique and require collaboration to solve (Bankston & Glazer, 2013). Sullivan asserts that collaboration is driven by the need to develop applications in healthcare practice, education, research, and organizational settings for highly beneficial outcomes (1998).

Outcomes anticipated from interprofessional collaboration include increased efficiency in delivery of healthcare services to patients and patient satisfaction (Zwarenstein, Goldman & Reeves, 2011). In addition, satisfaction of patients is a desirable outcome (Zwarenstein, Goldman & Reeves, 2011). For departments in hospitals, reduction of clinical errors is a desirable outcome of interprofessional collaboration (Reeves et al., 2013). In addition, management and care provided to special cases such as domestic violence victims and mental health patients is expected to be more efficient with the use of interprofessional collaboration (Reeves et al., 2013).

According to D'Amour et al., interprofessional collaboration depends on sharing, partnership, power, interdependency and process (2005). Professionals from different fields need to share information for a picture of the situation to be developed. The professionals also need to work together as partners for a successful collaborative effort. On the other hand, San Martin-Rodriguez et al., (2005) are of the opinion that succesful interprofessional collaboration is dependent on processes at work in interpersonal relationships within the team (the interactional determinants), conditions within the organization (the organizational determinants), and the organization's environment (the systemic determinants).

Interpersonal skills are essential in interprofessional collaboration. Teamwork skills are also important in establishing the presence of interprofessional collaboration. The ability to create working methods that facilitate the process of interprofessional collaboration is an indication of an ability to work with an amalgamation of various disciplines.

A primary restraining force of interprofessional collaboration is culture (Hall, 2005). Culture differs between organizations and professions. Values, beliefs, attitudes, customs and behaviors are accumulated over time. These in turn work to shape perceptions and influences common values, problem-solving approaches and language/jargon of each profession. In addition, specialization has led to further commitment of the learners to knowledge and culture of their own professional group. Professional cultures then act as a hindrance to interprofessional collaboration due to the differences as highlighted. On the other hand, interprofessional collaboration is driven by the need for increased efficiency ion the delivery of healthcare.

Multidisciplinary is perceived as a vague statement as opposed to interprofessional (Olenick, Allen & Smego, 2010). In the use of multidiscpolinay, it is insinuated that it is a system where no partnership or collaboration is practiced. The disciplines stand alone as opposed to interprofessional where the professionals from various disciplines get together to provide combined effort.

Interprofessional collaboration can be hindered by lack of understanding of the roles of other team members (Kvarnstrom, 2008). Lack of appreciation of the roles of other members undermines their purpose and leads to disunity. Legal issues on scope and liability may constrain the level to which collaboration may take place between different professions (Kvarnstrom, 2008). Some organizations may have hierarchical administrative and educational structures that discourage interprofessional collaboration (McNair, 2005). In addition, teams may have difference in levels of authority, power, expertise, income and lack a clear purpose.

DNP graduates are expected to be expert clinicians. Their training is aimed at making them adopt a continuous learning curve that will be practiced alongside their work. For title disputes to be avoided with other professionals, it is important to identify the main purpose behind interprofessional collaboration and focus on the overall goal that is to use evidence based outcomes to promote optimal health outcomes.

Zwarenstein, Goldman and Reeves associate interprofessional collaboration with reduced stay of patients in hospitals and increased levels of satisfaction (2009). In addition, research states that interprofessional collaboration reduces uncertainty (San Martin-Rodriguez, D'Amour & Leduc, 2008). Additional research also attributes interprofessional collaboration with an increase in the quality of patient care. For instance, drug use reduced and there was a decline in the duration of stay.

Interprofessional collaboration within the scope of DNP capstone project is based on the understanding that the best outcome for the patient is the main goal. The DNP is based on research that is applicable to nursing practice and collaboration with other professions makes it a suitable platform for joint initiatives in establishing the best outcomes.