There are 24 innovative care delivery models with each model having unique features. The 24 models fall under three care delivery strategies which include acute care, bridging the gap in health care, and care planning to address patients’ needs (Joynt & Kimball, 2008). Our focus will be on the transitional care model applied in the medical/surgical team unit, which falls under acute care.
Innovative Nursing Care Model: Transitional Care Model
The transition care model targets older patients with chronic illnesses and a history of hospitalization for common medical or surgical diagnoses. The transition care model (TCM) should provide planning for the care of the patient while in hospital and a follow-up on the patient after discharge from the hospital. The medical-surgical unit team nursing model aimed using the optimize the use of staff resources to provide quality care for patients (HWS, 2008).
Development Team For The Medical Surgical Unit Nursing Team model
The medical-surgical team consists of registered nurses (RN), licensed practical nurses (LPN), chief nursing officers (CNO) and certified nursing assistants (CNA) who play the role of caring for patients in the medical-surgical unit. Physicians play a major role in the development and implementation of this model. The development team for this model will require carrying our recruitment and training of RN and LPN with a nurse educator offering training on delegation of supervision of work to other members of the hospital staff. A support team of house supervisors, nurse managers, and senior clinical managers should be in place to offer support (HWS, 2008).
Incorporation Of The Medical Surgical Nursing Team Model In A Hospital
For successful implementation of the medical surgical team model into the medical surgical section, the hospital has to recruit new staff and offer training on the roles and duties of each member of the team. The hospital will require offering training to RNs and LPNs on the role of delegation of duties, as they had previously not received training on this role. A full time nurse educator should be in place to offer training of new RNs in their roles.
The team should forge strong working relationships with each other for efficient care of the patients. The nurse manager should supervise on the team to ensure that each member is performing the required duties and to offer support and encouragement to the team members (HWS, 2008). Each member of the team should have proper medical details of each patient under his or her care and should be available for consultation. The members of the team are each assigned a section were the patients can easily have access to them (Joynt & Kimball, 2008).
The hospital will strive to form partnerships with other medical institutions that have successfully implemented this model in order to offer guidance and support during the implementation (Joynt, & Kimball, 2008).
Evaluation Of Model: Outcome Measurement
The medical surgical nursing team model leads to significant decrease in labor costs per patient. The model also leads to increased safety of the patient, as the fall rate of the patients in this model is significantly lower than the national average. The model also offers job satisfaction to the RNs and LPNs working on the team. The RNs are content that they are able to provide quality care to their patients (Joynt & Kimball, 2008). Patients feel satisfied with the model, as they receive attention and information from the RNs who cater for their needs.
References
HWS, Health Workforce Solutions. (2008). Transitional Care Model. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Princeton, NJ. Web.
Joynt, J., & Kimball, B. (2008). Innovative Care Delivery Models. identifying new models that effectively leverage nurses. Web.