Collaboration and Leadership Reflection
In the healthcare environment which is always in a state of change, collaboration and leadership are the two most crucial factors that ensure patients are always provided with the best care. The healthcare professionals perform as a joint team of doctors, nurses and other health workers, which constitute a priceless ability to get through difficult situations, for problem solving and adaptation. Teammates feel empowered by the joint activities that are designed to facilitate the linkage between departments, effective communication channels, and error reporting systems. However, an able leadership is the one that is accountable, inspiring and directional which is the one that provide guidance, motivation and a shared objective which can be used steer an organization. Such a collaboration among medical professionals as well as leadership allows to produce an appealing therapy and results that are trusted by a patient, in addition, it improves satisfaction levels and efficiency in healthcare spending. This as the audience scrutinizes and envisions the magnitude of teamwork and a leadership model that is effective in the achievement of the objectives amidst the crisis of a busy urban hospital emergency department.
Challenges and Collaboration
During one shift I was the charge nurse in urban emergency department during the mass casualty incident that was a result of a natural disaster and as the main character of the crisis. We suddenly had multiple critical patients that we had to take care of in a very short time, and this was the problem that quickly exceeded the limits of our department and brought up the questions of how well we could collaborate and how much we can be resilient under the stress. In our team, we had emergency physicians, trauma surgeons, radiologists, and nurses who were specializing in different areas of patient care. We, therefore, faced the most difficult task of sorting and treating patients with different levels of severity.
In the process, we were evaluated. In addition to a scarce number of resources and the highest ever influx of people, we faced quite enormous challenge and we had to act really fast and ensure that our actions were the smartest so that we could get the best results possible for our patients. While it resulted in a workload increase and staff shortage (due to sick calls and family emergencies), and added to the deficit in our staffing, we were there for each other, and utilized our skills and knowledge to ensure that the target care was provided on time.
Teamwork and communication was the most important thing we should do, but the vastness of the event was the most difficult thing to do it. It was the lack of staff and the increased workload that worsened the tension on our already scarce resources and made logistics very difficult, delaying patient care even further. Nevertheless, on the basis of our communication channels and common goal, which is a good health of the patients, we may overcome the difficulties and make sure that the patients will be given the best care.
At this very moment of crisis, we could be stronger and united than ever before. We might see the power of teamwork and leadership in this particular emergency. With the collective power of unity, by combining our strengths and building a communication channel, we became the ones leading the entire endeavor and more than just carrying out our duty of care; we did actually provide the best care to those who needed it the most. This real time experience only accentuates the significance of cooperation and the most important role it play in healthcare delivery, especially in those critical situations when a teamwork acts like a life saver.
The Importance of Interdisciplinary Collaboration
In the emergency when everything is going at high speed, collaboration among the different disciplines is of great importance. It was mass casualty event of natural disaster, I witnessed personally how the cooperation of healthcare professionals could be the only way to success of our patients.
The ED is a team building place, not just with enthusiastic slogans but real life practices. Every member of the healthcare team, from the emergency physicians and the trauma surgeons to the radiologists and the nurses, who all have their own area of specialization, is a core part of the healthcare team and therefore, we are able to offer the patients with holistic care. The department is subdivided into specialized sections, with each nurse being an expert in a particular area, and therefore, attending to their designated area. The patient is, therefore, guaranteed specialized and efficient care.
Yet this situation still remained on the grounds that the staffing shortage had additional negative impact on the already existing problems.
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