Interprofessional Practice

Interprofessional practice for the professional nurse can be defined as collaboration and shared decision making with other health care professionals to improve care and provide safe outcomes for patients. Since nurse are central to the care of the patient, they are often viewed as the communicator and the coordinator of the patient’s care (Burzotta & Nobel, 2011). Nurses have a unique opportunity as a interprofessional team member given their scope of knowledge about the patient. However, nurses struggle with role-identify when a part of an interprofessional team. The work of nurses do is often viewed as non-professional and more task driven by

Interprofessional Practice (IPP) occurs when different professional groups work together and rely on one another to accomplish common goals and improve healthcare outcomes. The way in which healthcare professionals interact and communicate with one another affects the quality of healthcare they provide and can effect patient care and safety (Australasian Interprofessional Practice and Education Network). Barriers to effective interprofessional practice between doctors and nurses have been well documented and include problem power dynamics, poor communication, lack of understanding of one another’s roles and responsibilities and from conflict arising due to different approaches to patient care (Zwarenstein, Goldman & Reeves, 2009)

As a way to promote interprofessional collaborative practice the HPHA IPC model recommends the implementation of an Interprofessional practice council, unit action councils, interdisciplinary care plans, documentation, and “bullet” rounds (HPHA Interprofessional Practice Model, 2010). Similarly, Weller, Boyd and Cumin recommend supporting interprofessional collaboration with protocols and procedures, using procedures that encourage information sharing among the whole team, such as checklists, briefings and IT solutions (2014).

The delivery of safe, affordable and quality healthcare to clients is an integral part in today`s health care. In order to provide the aforementioned care; inter-professional (IP) collaboration of the health care members is essential. The need for IP collaboration has been identified by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the federal government, the Department of Health and Human Services. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has identified the IP collaboration as an essential element of nursing education in the AACN Essential Series (Messer, n.d.). Evidence suggests that the collaboration among health professionals has been associated positively with patient outcomes in the operating room, the emergency

The intent of interprofessional collaboration is one that will foster the safe practice of all health care professionals, and enables the achievement of better outcomes. Some outcomes needed for this particular situation would be as followed:

Interprofessional competency education is essential to patient quality outcomes because as stated in the Institute of medicine’s report patients have complex medical issues that can best be addressed by interprofessional teams. By training current and future health care workers to work in such teams we facilitate the model and the results is improved healthcare outcomes for patients. The model help professionals to understand the important role each person adds to the team.

A. i) Interprofessional education is a collaborative learning strategy involving multiple health-related professions, working together to provide patient-centered care and better health outcomes. Interprofessional care can be engaged academically, in a hospital environment or other professional setting. There are many different methods used to facilitate interaction between different healthcare fields including small-group based discussions, problem-based learning and continuous assessment. In modern times, due to a shift in health practice from acute care to chronic management and more patient-centered health strategies, healthcare professions find a greater need for collaboration (Reeves, Perrier, Goldman, Freeth & Zwarenstein,

Interprofessional collaboration is defined as students from multiple health professions learning together and from one another with the end result of improving professional collaboration and patient outcomes1.The goal of IPE is to engage students across disciplines to work together and learn about collaborative practice, health literacy and to cultivate cultural awareness. Interprofessional collaboration in the health setting is a critical ingredient to achieving the Triple Aim of increased patient outcomes, increased patient experience and decreased costs

Literature suggests that stronger collaborative relationships across healthcare disciplines is associated with improved patient safety, quality of care, and outcomes. For example, Tomblin Murphy et al found that when collaborative models of care initiatives were supported staff used evidence to develop care plans. Additionally, patients and their families were more involved when collaborative teams were in place (Chan A.K., Wood V., 2010; Tomblin, M. G., MacKenzie, A., Alder, R., & Cruickshank, C. 2013; Bethea, D. P., Holland, C. A., & Reddick, B. K. 2014). Often times, however, practitioner groups are reluctant to work closely with others from different professions for a variety of reasons, but mainly because they are not familiar with others scopes of practice and/or methods of care delivery (Vedam et al, 2014). Not all practitioners are ready to trust each other in a team setting and knowing who is and who is not to trust, may have an impact on successful collaboration for individuals over time. Additionally, interprofessional communication is a critical pillar for successful team delivered care. Interprofessional teams need participants who are not only excellent communicators but excellent listeners as well. Skilful and disciplined communication among and between individual practitioners is needed to carry out team-based goals and objectives.

It is also important in accessing the appropriate care, improve patient satisfaction while developing a good teamwork and maintaining health professionals. The objection of inter-professional working is to ensure that assessments are accurately perform by the specialist, information is accurately shared between professionals, improve productivity, support members of staffs, exchange knowledge and improve the quality of care provided to both patients and family. However, the negative impacts of inter-professional practice are: ineffective communication, dissatisfied outcome between partners, conflicts and liability issues (Leathard,

Interprofessional education (IPE) is a method used to increase the ability of professionals to engage in a collaborative process. IPE is starting to become more concentrated in the education system due to the composite problems patients and clients are dealing with, within in the healthcare system (Lumague et al., 2006). Evidence suggests that healthcare professionals show negative perceptions and stereotypes of each other and their professions, causing barriers in communication and teamwork, which can directly affect the patient and become a safety issue (Michalec et al., 2013). The practice and education of interprofessionalism has a profusion of pros, although, a few problems can be expected to occur. Interprofessional education provides an abundance of benefits that positively impacts the healthcare field.

This study accentuates collaborative practice among health care professionals in relation to patient-focused care. It stressed the importance of inter-professional practice as an authentic tool for achieving good patient-focused health outcome. It examines the relationship between the two healthcare practices and states that inter-professional collaborative practice and patient-centred care are closely interrelated, and one cannot exist without the other. Going by previous literature and the World Health Organization’s Framework for Action on Inter- professional Education and Collaborative Practice, the study explored the two topics and its judgments are consistent with the growing body of literature. It also points to the fact that effective

Aside from the fact that inter-professional education has recorded commendable success among all stakeholders, as evidently reported in Cochrane reviews in which its effectiveness has shown tremendous positive improvement of professional practice and health care outcomes on the service users Inter-professional education Reeves et al. [2008]. In addition to the success and potential, it is believed that IPE has the potential to improve members of inter-professional health workers' clinical and medical knowledge and clinical skills. In spite of the recorded successes and potential to improve clinical and practice knowledge in inter-professional health settings, it is beginning to be noticed that these successes are not without their attendant

Munro introduces the potential solution to the current health human resource shortages in many developed nations in relation to interprofessional primary maternity care. The study explores the barriers to interprofessional models of maternal care between physicians, nurses and midwives in rural British Columbia, Canada and the changes that need to occur to facilitate such models

Healthcare is provided by a number of different professionals to achieve the restoration of a balance between all factors of a person’s life when faced with disease, illness, injury, childbirth and surgery. The main health care professionals that are required are doctors nurses, midwives and paramedical personnel. This multidisciplinary team approach to health care brings a number of benefits to the patient and many systems and processes are in place to achieve a high standard of patient outcomes. Positive relationship between patients and the healthcare providers promotes patient-centered care and enhances outcomes. (Dwamena et al,.2012; Laine & Davidoff, 1996).