Preparing Best Practices: The Benchmarking Process

Inter-Professional Team Model (PAARP) is used throughout the life cycle of a team and includes 5 phases describing actions of the interprofessional teams: purpose, assemble and charter, align, resource, perform. The division of labor is based on the scopes of practice of team members and takes into account KSAs of team members. In the PAARP model, actions of leadership give purpose to the group, and consistency of action by the leader is essential. Identifying purpose through goal-setting plays a large part in this theory and team members accept the goals of the team as their own and take responsibility for their part in achieving them. This model is applicable across health professionals through an understanding of each discipline’s roles

The issue of interprofessional working is currently one of key importance in the field of health and social care (Moyneux, 2001). Using the 6 stages of Gibb’s Reflective cycle (1988) I am going to demonstrate my understanding and explore the importance of interprofessional working as well as discuss barriers and facilitators for team working. A healthcare system that supports effective teamwork can improve the quality of patient care, enhance patient safety and reduce workloads that cause burnout among healthcare professionals (Oandasan, 2006). The 6 stages of Gibb’s cycle include description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion and action planning for future practice. I am going to reflect on the preparation work which was carried out each week for the group summative presentation and the importance of communication within the group.

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.

Hall and Waver ( 2001) defines Interprofessional as a group of professionals from different disciplines such as nurses, doctors, pharmacist that are working and communicating with each other while providing their knowledge, skills and attributes to enhance and support the contributions of others. Suter et al (2009) also said that the ability to work in an interprofessional team to convey collaborative, patient-centered care is an important aspect of professional practice that involves a possession of a particular set of competencies, such as communication skills. In relation to (Weinstein et al., 2003) Collaboration is the collection of knowledge, skills, values and motives which transforms to effective practice when applied by practitioners.

Benchmarking for clinical performance measurement involves collecting and reporting data on practices’ clinical processes and outcomes. Measuring clinical performance can create buy-in for improvement work in the practice and enables the practice to track their improvements over time. This information should also be used to identify and prioritize improvement goals and to track progress toward those goals. In addition, these data should be used to monitor maintenance of changes already made ("Module 7. measuring," 2013). Benchmarking can also be utilized to do a comparison between other health care organizations, provide areas where training could improve staff functions.

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).

It is true that collaboration between healthcare leaders and providers is essential for effective and efficient care delivery. However, “the ability to collaborate consistently, and in a way that ensures quality care, continues to elude” (Bankston & Glazer, 2010, p.1). This is as a result of insignificant interdisciplinary challenge for nurses, providers, and leaders in today’s healthcare. The openness and autonomy of bringing healthcare leaders, and healthcare professionals is to achieve positive patient outcomes. Bankston et al. declared that “one approach to bridging this interprofessional-collaboration gap could be the development of partnerships to facilitate the creation of interdisciplinary laboratories, sometimes called “collaboratories,”

Health care organizations and the way care is delivered is rapidly changing. Being able to manage, promote, and, facilitate interprofessional team work is essential for health care organizations to be successful. Team synergy for successful interprofessional teams means there is cooperation, collaboration, and the coordination of patient-centered care (LeBlanc, 2014). Working together toward a common goal is a common theme for successful interprofessional teams (Hart, 2015).

As a future nurse, I find it very important and beneficial to have been given the opportunity to learn about, and participate in, interprofessional collaboration while still in nursing school. Before starting this course, it never really crossed my mind as to how much I would need to communicate and collaborate with other disciplines within the health care team while caring for my patients. Within the short time I spent with multiple different disciplines in my IPE clinical at Methodist Hospital, I was able to get a glimpse into what their roles and responsibilities were and how that related to and intertwined with the nurse’s roles and responsibilities. Interprofessional collaboration has been defined as “nurses and physicians working together, sharing responsibilities for solving problems, and making decisions to formulate and carry out plans for patient care” (Muller-Juge et al., 2013, p.1). Interprofessional communication and collaboration is extremely important in patient care because proper communication and collaboration between physicians, nurses, social workers, and any other members of the health care team, is imperative to keeping one another informed and, more

The director of interprofessional practice is a healthcare leader with more than 20 years of leadership experience. She has a corporate role and is responsible for developing and coordinating strategic initiatives and programs that promote interprofessional practice and standards of care. The interprofessional practice team is comprised of professional practice leaders for nursing and allied health and clinical nurse educators for different programs.

“Interprofessional working involves complex interactions between two or more members of different professional disciplines. It is a collaborative venture in which those involved share the common purpose of developing mutually negotiated goals achieved through agreed plans which are monitored and evaluated according to agreed procedures. This requires the pooling of knowledge and expertise to facilitate joint decision making based upon shared professional viewpoints” (Barrett, Sellman & Thomas, 2005, p18). How individuals collaborate and work towards a common goal for the benefit of the patient is essential for a swift recovery.

Teamwork is vital in healthcare.  When all participants are engaged in a program, goals are successfully achieved. Being able to communicate and work collectively as a team requires an appreciation for each other’s area of practice.  Every team member has an important role and being acknowledged provides a sense of responsibility and accountability. Essentially, inter-professional collaboration helps ensure that the patient is getting care that is not only accessible but also comprehensive.  The plan of a patients’ care includes active participation by all health care professionals working interdependently in accordance to the patient’s preferences, values and beliefs. The health care team accomplishes the goal of meeting the patient’s medical needs by delivering evidence-based practice.   To deliver quality care, the patient should always be involved.

Best practices are important to improve the quality of processes and decision-making in healthcare organizations. However, it requires precise methodologies, such as benchmarking. Benchmarking exercises, when done correctly, can provide significant information to promote effective best practices usage. The response to healthcare challenges could surely benefit from more exchange and better understanding of other countries’ experiences if the benchmarking process provides relevant

In healthcare benchmarks are used to help organizations understand what their strengths and weaknesses are. It also allows organizations to improve their competitive advantage by creating a continuous improvement and increase competitive standards. Many organizations also feel that benchmarks help to better satisfy the needs for quality and cost and establishing new standards and goals. Another key factor is that it promotes changes and delivers improvement in quality, productivity and efficiency. It is very cost effective and time efficient and creates a variety of ideas that can be utilized by the organization. All organizations should have some form of benchmarks. This will help ensure with the growth and improvements