In the pursuit of enhancing patient care and organizational efficiency, healthcare professionals increasingly recognize the critical role of interdisciplinary collaboration (Omondi & Atieno, 2019). This assessment delves into the essential components of such collaboration, drawing from an interview with a healthcare professional to identify a pertinent organizational issue. The subsequent exploration of evidence-based interdisciplinary approaches, change theories, leadership strategies, and collaborative models from credible sources will provide a foundation for devising a comprehensive solution to the identified challenge, ultimately aimed at optimizing care for patients with complex chronic conditions (Omondi & Atieno, 2019).
In the conducted interview with a healthcare professional, the primary focus was to identify past or current issues within their healthcare organization that could benefit from an interdisciplinary approach. The interview was structured to ensure the gathering of sufficient information and insights. The interviewer employed a systematic approach, utilizing open-ended questions and active listening to encourage the interviewee to share their experiences and observations openly.
During the interview, the healthcare professional highlighted a specific issue related to patient care coordination and communication between various healthcare teams within the organization. They emphasized that the lack of effective interdisciplinary collaboration sometimes led to delays in patient care, duplication of efforts, and inefficiencies (Dartiguelongue & Cafiero, 2021). To gather comprehensive information, the interviewer used probing questions to delve deeper into the issue, such as inquiring about specific incidents or challenges faced by the healthcare professional and their team due to this issue.
The interviewee’s perspective and experiences provided valuable insights into the problem, which will be crucial for designing an interdisciplinary improvement project. The structured interview approach helped ensure that the interviewee’s knowledge and expertise were effectively tapped to identify areas where interdisciplinary strategies could be applied to enhance patient care and organizational efficiency.
From the interview with the healthcare professional, it became evident that an issue well-suited for an evidence-based interdisciplinary approach is the coordination of care for patients with complex chronic conditions. This issue justifies an interdisciplinary approach for several reasons. Firstly, patients with complex chronic conditions often require the expertise of multiple healthcare disciplines, including physicians, nurses, social workers, and specialists, to manage their conditions effectively (Hudon et al., 2020). An interdisciplinary team approach can facilitate better coordination among these professionals, ensuring that each patient receives comprehensive, holistic care tailored to their unique needs (Hudon et al., 2020).
Secondly, evidence-based interdisciplinary collaboration has been shown to improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. By bringing together professionals from different disciplines, each with their specialized knowledge and skills, healthcare organizations can develop and implement evidence-based plans that address aspects of complex chronic conditions (Seostianin, 2020). This approach can lead to better disease management, fewer hospital readmissions, and improved patient satisfaction. Moreover, it can help identify and mitigate potential complications or medication interactions that may go unnoticed in a single-discipline care model (Seostianin, 2020).
In developing solution to the issue of care coordination for patients with complex chronic conditions, several change theories and leadership strategies can be considered (Stanz et al., 2021). One potential change theory is Lewin’s Change Management Model, which consists of three stages: unfreezing, change, and refreezing (Stanz et al., 2021). In this context, the “unfreezing” stage would involve raising awareness among healthcare professionals about the need for interdisciplinary collaboration and the benefits it can bring.
Order this paper