1. Working on and with Interdisciplinary Teams
Daniel Aguiar
Florida Atlantic University
NGR 6725

2. Interdisciplinary Team
“Interdisciplinary team work combines the strengths of two or more disciplines with the aim of identifying problems, revealing associations, working out solutions to problems, and applying these” (Slavicek, G., 2012, p. 107). Often used to in the clinical setting to optimize patient care Can be used in research to address complex questions

3. Background
Interdisciplinary teams are not a means of preventing disciplines from having separate disciplines and practices “Members of interdisciplinary teams must possess differentiating, relativizing and synthetizing characteristics to a greater degree than others.” (Slavicek, G., 2012, p. 107).

4. Background
Limited empirical data was available on patient outcomes related to interdisciplinary care. “According to the Joint Commission, failures in teamwork and communication are among the leading causes of adverse obstetric events and sentinel events” (Andreatta, P., Marzano, D., 2012, p.445).

5. Interdisciplinary Rounds
Microsystem-level solution Goal: share information achieve mutual understanding collaboratively revise the plan of care within care teams.

6. Overall Impact
One systemic review on Interdisciplinary Teams in the care of obstetric patients suggested that the management of patients requiring different specialties is beneficial as it relates to the outcomes ” (Andreatta, P., Marzano, D., 2012). Potential Impact: Improved efficiecies (length of stay) Patient safety improvement Patient satisfaction Influential Factors: Patient characteristics Other initiatives that may or may not be in place to improve patient outcomes (O’leary, K., Johnson, J., Auerbach, A., 2016)

7. Positive Results
Motivate hospital staff in success of shared goal Created opportunities for learning and problem-solving Address the impact process change in patient care Maintains new care processes Represents each clinical discipline effectively as each respective member bring their level of expertise (Santana, C., Curry, L., Nembhard, I., Berg, D., Bradley, E., 2011)

8. Nursing Impact
Communication with medical providers Nurse communicating patient needs Communication with patient Nurse relaying plan of care Overall results: Increased job satisfaction Improved patient outcomes (Gausvik, C., Lautar, A., Miller, L., Pallerla, H., Schlaudecker, A., 2015)

9. Nursing Impact
Closely connected to health care team and patient Bridge for fragmented care between multiple disciplines Clinical Nurse Leaders Role: Master’s Prepared Enhance efficiency of patient care Use leadership, clinical, and care environment expertise Organize care of interdisciplinary team (Bender, M., Connelly, C., & Brown, C., 2012)

10. Nursing Leadership
Association with higher job satisfaction: Improves nurse retention Improves nurse recruitment Positive fiscal impact (need for new employee training/onboarding) Improved patient outcomes: Reduction in Hospital Acquired Infections Reduction in Length of Stay Minimizing financial penalties Maximize reimbursement (Gausvik, C., Lautar, A., Miller, L., Pallerla, H., Schlaudecker, A., 2015)

11. Nursing Leadership
Improved patient satisfaction scores: HCHAPS improvement Value Based Purchasing Improving reimbursement rates

12. References
Beatrice IJM van, d. H., Karen, v. D., & Hans, M. H. (2009). Intention to leave nursing. Career Development International, 14(7), doi: Bender, M., Connelly, C., & Brown, C. (2012). Interdisciplinary collaboration: the role of the clinical nurse leader. Journal of Nursing Management, (21),1, doi: x Gausvik, C., Lautar, A., Miller, L., Pallerla, H., & Schlaudecker, J. (2015). Structured nursing communication on interdisciplinary acute care teams improves perceptions of safety, efficiency, understanding of care plan and teamwork as well as job satisfaction. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, (8), doi: O’leary, K., Johnson, J., & Auerbach, A. (2016). Do interdisciplinary rounds improve patient outcomes? only if they improve teamwork. Journal of Hospital Medicine, (11)7, doi: Santana, C., Curry, L., Nembhard, I., Berg, D., & Bradley, E. (2011). Behaviors of successful interdisciplinary hospital quality improvement teams. Journal of Hospital Medicine, (6)9, doi: Slavicek, G., (2012). Interdisciplinary - a historical reflection. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, (2)20, Retrived from: