Informatics Skill: Teamwork And Collaboration

Has anyone ever considered how medical devices are prepared before a surgical procedure? Central Sterile Processing Department (CSPD) consists of services within the Hospital, in which reusable medical devices will be cleaned, prepared, and processed. The role for CSPD is to prevent infection transmitted by usage of medical devices. The procedure for hospital medical devices before surgery has a four part workflow process in: Decontamination, to Instrumentation, to Sterilization and Sterile Storage (Case Carts). An example is given for reprocessing an Intestinal Set and the supplies needed for the preparation of this medical device set.

The pre-op nurse did not pass the information on when giving report to the OR nurse. The OR nurse is responsible for giving addition hand off information both about the patient along the information from the procedure she all so communicates with the surgeon during the procedure. It was during this interview that some insight about a breakdown in communication between departments became apparent.

The Hospital environment can offer some practical challenges that could be barriers in communications. Many patients have individual needs and this can impede on a nurses time and emotions. Nurses put in long hours and have a high patient/nurse ratio or shortage of healthcare workers. Nurses/personnel have to deal with emergencies in an already challenging and busy hospital setting. Dealing with patients takes mental acuity and emotional support and sensitivity. Hospital guidelines might not have sufficient communication practices among personnel in place.

In preparation of a review from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) Nightingale Community Hospital will focus on improving its communication process in the operating room. The purpose of communication in the healthcare setting is to disseminate information in such a way as to create shared understanding about the patient and about what needs to be done for a positive outcome. (synergia.com) A patient is at his most vulnerable state during procedures that require sedation or anesthesia. The patient is releasing his decision making ability and safety into the control and care of the healthcare team. Therefore, effective communication on behalf of the patient is

The American Nurses Association (ANA) “Code of Ethics for Nurses” (ANA, 2001) states: “The nurse promotes, advocates for, and strives to protect the health, safety, and rights of the patient”. This reflects that advocating for the patient directly correlates with the safety and well-being of the patient. The key part to patient advocacy is effective communication. In recent times, there has been a focus on the connection of effective communication between healthcare workers and patient safety. A number of Institute of Medicine reports has brought focus to the severe matter. The reports have emphasized the concern of the lack of communication in the healthcare setting and the resulting negative patient outcomes. (Hanks, 2012a). This goes back to the notion that while many healthcare professionals consider themselves as a working member of a team, we have the natural tendency to work autonomously. Therefore, it is the nurse’s duty to collaborate patient centered care by practicing good communication skills with the entire healthcare team, the patient, and the patient’s family if consent is given to assure patient safety.

The surgical suite was clean, well lit, and very organized. All of the tools and

Open communication is essential part to a successful healthcare team that directly impacts patient’s lives. In the video “Just a Routine Operation, ” by Laedal Medical Human Factors in Patient Safety, physicians and nurses demonstrates how different human factors contribute to the overall outcome of the patient. Elaine, the patient in the video came into the hospital for a reconstruction surgery. However, during the surgery Elaine had a complication and because the lack of communication, assertiveness, self-awareness, decision-making, teamwork, and prioritization, Elaine did not survive the surgery. This situation shows how important these characteristics are when dealing with emergency care. Even the health care professional with the years

There are a variety of surgical items that can get left inside of patients. Generally, it seems that sponges, towels and gauze are the most common types of objects left inside of patients;

This article addresses “communication failures within a healthcare institution can result in substandard care and increase likelihood of adverse outcomes for patients” (p. 181). As part of The Joint Commission goal for institutions to improve safety and reduce communication failure a program was created where doctors were (team leaders) and nurses (team members). The clinical crew resource management (CCRM) was implemented in the gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy area at Huntington VA Medical Center.

In addition, throughout any procedure, the nurse should continue to educate and maintain strong communication with the patient to avoid any surprises that may upset them. This includes thoroughly explaining why, how, and what the nurse will be doing.

In nursing profession, communication is one of the vital interprofessional collaboration competencies. A slack in communication gap will affect effective teamwork in providing efficient patient care delivery. Without integrated cooperation and effective communication, there will be a delinquency in the healthcare system, resulting in

Health care professionals have multiple responsibilities and one among them is ability to transfer patient information or handoff to another healthcare provider. Clear and accurate handoff communication between healthcare providers of operating room team is an integral part to patient safety. Exchange of patient information occurs many times a day and are vulnerable to communication errors that may negatively impact patient safety. In fact, poor communication is one of the reported cause of sentinel events within United States hospitals and is at high risk often among surgical patients than in any other clinical specialty. Surgical patients move from perioperative to intraoperative to post-operative areas and transition between these specific points requires effective communication. Rapid turnovers are most often vulnerable to communication errors that could lead to fatal implications.

Interprofessional team collaboration for professional nurses is viewed as a method to improve the care and safety for patients. However, interprofessional team collaboration presents both advantages and challenges for nurses and other team members. One of the advantages is the coordination of care for the patient and the sharing of knowledge to improve the outcomes for the patient. Challenges for interprofessional team collaboration is: poor role-definition, miscommunication, conflict, lack of accountability for assignment of responsibilities and tasks (Reeves, 2012). This paper will discussion the role of a nurse on an interprofessional team and the challenges, why interprofessional teams promote patient safety, and strategies to promote success interprofessional teams.

Brown, D., Edwards, H., Seaton, L., & Buckley, T. (2017). Lewis's Medical-Surgical Nursing: Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Some of the important concepts related to collaboration and skilled communication that the nurse needs to understand is that collaboration is a critical competency required for effective patient-centered, quality care. It is an essential process which requires partnership, interdependence and collective ownership and responsibility. The nurse needs to understand that in order for collaboration to be effective, there must be an ongoing interactive process built on mutual trust and respect. The nurse must also understand that collaboration is a very critical component in the delivery of care that includes shared goals, an understanding of other’s roles and responsibilities, mutual respect, clear communication, openness to learning and an ability to change one’s viewpoint. And to be effective in collaboration, communication skills are crucial and staff members need to be aware of their own feelings, be able to make decisions and problem solve effectively, develop negotiating skills to be used in resolving difficult conflicts and assessment skills (Finkelman, 2012).