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This reflective paper discusses the interprofessional collaborative event that took place in early July, which included the following professions: Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, and Social Work. It was a great way to enhance teamwork and communication skills by exploring the responsibilities of interprofessional team-based care. In addition, there was a patient case to learn about the social determinants of health and the impact these determinants have on patients’ health.
It was the first time this interprofessional event was online. The professors put us in breakout rooms with preassigned teams to discuss the roles of our profession to our group. Due to the inability of having many students from various fields of study, my group managed to have a physical therapy student, two occupational therapy students and two physical therapy students. They gave us a case to solve as a group, which was a great way to see how our roles distinguished or overlapped.
The case involved a patient who didn’t have insurance but wanted to treatment for a fractured leg. He had emphysema, uncontrolled diabetes, hypertension, poor vision, loneliness, depression related to the death of his wife, substance use disorder, and poor nutrition. As a nurse, I would see this patient holistically and address the patient about self-care and healthy habits. I would also be the liaison for the patient’s questions that needs answers. The physical therapy student mainly mentioned ways to improve movement and pain related to the injury. The occupational therapy students pointed out possible difficulties related to activities of daily living such as cooking, driving, and getting dressed. They also said how the patient might have trouble walking three flights of stairs to get to his house since there weren’t elevators. The physician assistant students mentioned ways they could manage the patient’s chronic illnesses. Although, since the patient didn’t have insurance, it was evident that we would need a social worker to help him with resources. We didn’t have a social worker in our group, but I think they’re an essential part of the team. According to US Bureau of Labor Statistics, social workers help people in various settings to cope with problems in their everyday life.1 Asides from a social worker; we didn’t have a pharmacist on our team. With the case, the patient mentioned they weren’t adherent to their metformin. As a person who was once in the pharmacy program, not being adherent or improper medication use is common. Some causes for that are cost, inconvenience, side effects, or forgetfulness. Luckily, metformin isn’t an expensive drug. Whether it is or not, I’d recommend they download GoodRx to find lower drug prices. Pharmacists also can critically evaluate journal articles to see whether a drug is valid based on the statistical data. It’s prevalent for people to simply read the introduction and conclusion but not analyze the statistical data to see whether they’re significant. Sometimes publishers leave out data to make it sound better than it is.
Considering this wasn’t my first interprofessional collaborative event, I had an idea of what many of the professions did. Although I didn’t have a social worker in my group, I think they’re an essential part of the team. It was fascinating to see how similar all of the professions overlapped with nursing. Occupational therapists help patients with activities of daily living, which nurses do as well. Physical therapists address an issue that nurses may report by giving them exercises to help them. Physician assistants take assessments from nurses to further direct and treat. To add on about physician assistants, in Maine they recently allowed them to prescribe independently. Understanding what other professions do, allows me as a nurse to better care for a patient. I won’t know the answer to every question, but to have the ability to know someone who does is vital.
This event met the course objectives of interprofessionalism, evidence-based practice, professionalism, technology and safety, leadership, self-care, and health care delivery. This interprofessional event pertained to both collaborative and professional practice. Nursing is a practice discipline that has a holistic approach. The evidence-based practice causes nursing implications directly because it influences the way care is administered or educated. Results of training can modify a method due to technology, safety, or ineffectiveness. The methodology of practice can impact how you collaborate with other professionals. As seen in the nursing informatics field, technological advancements have led to newer studies being implemented into the electronic health record. In result, this can lead to better health care delivery. As improvements proceed, collaborative and professional practice will continue to evolve affecting nursing care.
This event taught collaborative communication and leadership, patient-centered care, role clarification, team functioning, and interprofessional conflict resolution. I was able to effectively communicate within my team to complete the patient care by actively listening, taking a non-judgmental stance, and respectfully communicating. By taking the time to understand the roles and responsibilities of a nurse and others on the interprofessional team, it allowed me to know how to provide a patient-centered care. By being aware of the strengths and challenges of teamwork through the process, I was able to function within the team effectively. Cases are starting to become complicated, as seen by the one presented. With collaborative leadership and interprofessional conflict resolution, we were able to adequately address the issues of the client in the case study.
References:
- Social Workers : Occupational Outlook Handbook. (2020, April 10). Retrieved July 25, 2020, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/social-workers.htm
