Interdisciplinary Nursing Role

Drug administration forms a major part of the clinical nurse’s role. Medicines are prescribed by the doctor and dispensed by the

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.

As clinical site co-ordinator with many years of clinical experience I feel competent in the drug administration via a variety of routes. Generally the patients I attend have become acutely unwell with most prescriptions not having the third eye of a pharmacist and most drugs being delivered intravenously. It is imperative therefore that the prescription and drugs always be thoroughly checked which relies on good communication throughout. Furthermore, most emergency drugs have a protocol for administration developed by the hospital. However within this situation the nurse is generally the last defence before any medication error actually occurs, therefore it is the nurses responsibility to ensure the prescription is correct and to challenge prescription written

In healthcare today, when hospitals are judged upon patient safety standards, it is critical to prevent errors involving medication administration. Distractions while preparing and administering medications, has been report as one of the leading causes of medication errors. Distractions while nurses are administering medications can lead to poor patient outcomes and even sentinel events. Nurses and nurse managers are responsible for maintaining a unit with minimal distractions. When distractions are minimized throughout medication administration process, a decrease in medication errors will occur and lead to increased patient outcomes.

The right drug is also very important to implement. Any mismatch of drugs can result in an increased risk of adverse drug reactions (Kanneh, 2011) . Nurses need to be very careful with drugs that have narrow therapeutic ranges or have a complex chemical structure (Kanneh, 2011). Checking the dosage is also crucial. Before giving a drug it is crucial to adjust the dose to the correct maintenance level of the order (Kanneh, 2011). If the dose is too high and has not been checked by the person administering it, an overdose can occur and can be life threatening (Kanneh, 2011).

2. Nurse will educate patient on the risks of taking drugs/medications without proper use. Learning when it is appropriate to take medications along with the side effects that occur with them will help to prevent the risk of overdose and abuse.

Administering medication requires the understanding of how the medication is to enter the body such as orally, transdermal, or intravenous. It also requires the knowledge of when the medication needs to be administered, the possible side effects, and its toxicity. Doctors, nurses, and a few other

Interdisciplinary teams in nursing basically focus on results on the basis that the involved participants share the responsibility for achieving these outcomes. These teams comprise of members from different practices in the healthcare field who gather information to achieve consensus. Based on the required skills at a specific time, the leadership of these teams may be rotated among the associates or team members. In order for the interdisciplinary teams to function effectively in the nursing field, their leaders primarily facilitate instead of directing the collective work. Interdisciplinary teams function effectively through establishing clear goals, evaluating progress, plan ahead, clarify roles, share the leadership, and capitalize on individual talents (Wenckus, 2004).

Both practice medication safety and monitor patients for potential side effects. All nurses practice to maintain a safe environment for their patients. They provide care to patients with many different illnesses and in many different specialty areas.

Outcome measures assess whether the interventions to improve medication safety practice will be successful. During the interview of the new employee, competency evaluation related to medication administration will be applied first. In addition, during the orientation for these new employees, adequate training will be provided to ensure the importance of preventing medication errors. They will be given a list of similar and look-alike medications and will focus on medications that cause the most adverse reactions when errors may occur. Then, after training and when staff start working, they will be supervised during their first few months. When they are not supervised, they will be assessed and evaluated for any errors. During this process,

Before and after administration a nurse should provide a patient with information concerning medication and answer any concerns that a patient could be having regarding dosage and even special considerations (Glynda Rees Doyle, 2016).

Administration of medication to a patient is an interdisciplinary concern. When dealing with medication, nurses are held with as much accountability as other members within the medical team. To uphold this standard, it is important for nurses to stay informed with new research to help provide better care to their patients. The nursing community also adheres to the “nursing process,” a guide that nurses utilize to achieve well-rounded care. Nurses can relate the nursing process not only to their plan of care, but also to different subjects to systematically analyze information. Applying the nursing process to this research created a connection that allows awareness of the

Patient safety is an important factor in the nursing profession. It is of utmost importance for a nurse to be educated in patient safety before they start out in their profession. According to an article in the Journal of Nursing Education, it is vital for nursing students to learn certain skills and tasks that relate to patient safety (Tella, Liukka, et al., 2014). The goal of teaching patient safety in nursing education is to help nursing students take on real life situations to practice patient safety before applying what they learned into the real world (Tella, Liukka, et al., 2014).

It is the nurse’s and pharmacist’s job to be cautious and aware of every medication they are administering by using their critical thinking skills and applying what they know to every situation. Although it is important for these individuals to be able to advocate for their patients, it also imperative that prescribers be aware of the impact they have on their patients as their actions have a domino effect. In conclusion, it is not the responsibility of a single profession to maintain safety in medication administration. It is the responsibility of everyone involved in the patient’s care. Each person who takes steps to improve the process and promote the patient as the number one priority is doing their part in refining how the healthcare system views medication

Safety is a small measure that can make a big impact on a patient in the clinical setting. In some cases, it can even cost patients their lives. According to the Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, safety is defined as a tool to minimize risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance (Barnsteiner, 2011). Safety problems can range from the nurse not knowing how to work certain equipment, or the nurse recording values wrong because he or she is distracted. Either way, these safety issues impact the clinical setting in a negative way. In order to have a functional, safe clinical environment, time and money must be spent to keep the hospital in working order and the nurses in the correct mindset.