nurs 6017 Interdisciplinary Team Input to Improve Patient Safety and Quality Outcomes and Work-Life Quality 

nurs 6017 Interdisciplinary Team Input to Improve Patient Safety and Quality Outcomes and Work-Life Quality 

Interdisciplinary Team Input to Improve Patient Safety and Quality Outcomes and Work-Life Quality 

Interdisciplinary team input will be crucial in implementing the QI initiative on a nurse-driven sepsis screening tool and management protocol. The interdisciplinary team will comprise the chief nursing officer (CNO), hospital administrator, nurse educator, data coordinator, and bedside nurses. The CNO is tasked with developing policies and advising on the best nursing practices that benefit nurses and improve clinical care. Thus, the CNO’s role will include advising the team on the best practices to implement the QI initiative to attain the desired results. Besides, the CNO will ensure the initiative is sustained and conduct performance assessments regarding implementing the protocol. The hospital administrator will ensure adequate resources to facilitate the QI initiative, including the nurse training. Moreover, the administrator will keep the team focused on implementing the initiative to improve patient outcomes.  

The nurse educator will facilitate the nurses’ training and evaluate outcomes to ensure that the expected outcomes are attained. In addition, the educator will be involved in developing the education plan and identifying evidence-based recommendations that should be included in the training. Furthermore, the role of the data coordinator will be to collect and interpret data on the implementation of the nurse-driven sepsis screening tool and management protocol in the hospital. The data coordinator will also ensure that patients’ data on sepsis is correctly collected by healthcare providers, which will help monitor the impact of the QI initiative in reducing the incidence of sepsis and related mortalities. Lastly, the bedside nurses will be key members since they will be involved in implementing the screening tool and management protocol in the hospital and must attend the training.  

Quality improvement interdisciplinary teams are key strategies to start and execute improvement efforts within healthcare organizations. Much of the QI initiative’s success relies on the team’s ability to identify a problem, develop a solution, lead change, and execute a sustainable QI plan (Erjavec et al., 2022). The proposed QI initiative will depend on the interdisciplinary team’s ability to lead change and implement a plan to sustain the initiative. However, this is based on the assumption that the team will have effective communication, coordination, collaboration, conflict management, and leadership (Erjavec et al., 2022). These are critical factors in ensuring that the interprofessional team is fully engaged in the QI initiative. There is also an assumption that the team members will have a common vision, which is key in steering the team to achieving the overall goal. 

Evidence-Based Communication Strategies to Promote Quality Improvement of Interprofessional Care 

It is essential for healthcare professionals to engage actively and competently in interprofessional healthcare teams to utilize their specialized knowledge and skills to solve complex healthcare challenges. However, members of the interprofessional team must be aware of the communication requirements for working effectively in QI teams. Erjavec et al. (2022) explain that evidence-based communication strategies should be developed within interprofessional care teams to promote cooperation between members, share pertinent information, and foster coordination in making pertinent QI decisions. Adopting an all-direction communication approach (downward, upward, horizontally, and diagonally) will be an effective communication strategy. It encourages the dissemination of information from lower-level employees to upper management and vice-versa (Renfro et al., 2018). It also encourages peer-to-peer communication, which will allow members to request support and coordinate activities.  

Another communication strategy will be electronic messaging through the hospital’s electronic health record (EHR). The EHR provides read-only access and secure messaging features, which will be ideal for the interprofessional team. They can send and receive secure messages among themselves regarding the QI initiative (Renfro et al., 2018). Communication models like the SBAR (situation, background, assessment, and recommendation) will be incorporated to foster communication among the interprofessional team members. Shahid and Thomas (2018) describe SBAR as a reliable and validated communication tool, which reduces adverse events, improved communication among health care provid