Interview Summary
In order to provide an appropriate foundation for the following project, a detailed interview with a nursing colleague was conducted. The organization that was discussed during the conversation was a regional hospital that provides a wide range of healthcare services to the population. It is a for-profit community hospital that offers high-quality care for patients and has a reputation as a reliable medical institution. The interviewee holds a nurse position within the organization. Work responsibilities include all the basic duties of a nurse, such as recording symptoms and medical histories of individuals, monitoring their health, and conducting diagnostic tests. Moreover, the interviewee indicated that they are required to communicate with the patients to create a specific treatment plan that would meet the needs and preferences of people.
The interviewed nurse mentioned that since the team of specialists in the hospital is large, they continuously need to collaborate and interact to ensure the best care for the patients. Nevertheless, she believes that one of the most significant interdisciplinary issues is the lack of a stated goal that they all have to share. The absence of one clear purpose does not allow the team to cooperate successfully and contributes to the emergence of misunderstandings with colleagues and patients. She stated that even though the problem is apparent, the organization does not address it because it focuses solely on treating patients without paying attention to the working environment. Therefore, the nurse claimed that collaboration is not considered a critical aspect in the medical institution, and professionals cannot develop enough skills to build interprofessional cooperation. She also stated that she previously worked at an interdisciplinary team; thus, this experience allowed her to understand the crucial role of collective work and identify the main problems in the current professional environment.
Issue Identification
Based on the interview, it can be concluded that the absence of a clearly stated collaborative goal is the issue appropriate for the interdisciplinary approach. Since interdisciplinary collaboration requires professionals to work together and accomplish common goals, it can explain and analyze the consequences brought by the lack of a stated purpose. Besides, the interdisciplinary approach is suitable because the identified issue is directly connected to a positive outcome of treatment.
Change Theories That Could Lead to an Interdisciplinary Solution
The Change Theory of Nursing, which was created by Kurt Lewin, can help develop an interdisciplinary solution to the highlighted issue. Hussain et al. (2018) stated that Lewin suggested a three-step organizational change model that aims at shifting people’s perceptions regarding an appropriate work process. The psychologist constructed three significant stages that give a possibility to advance an organization: unfreezing, change, and refreezing (Hussain et al., 2018). This theory can contribute to the development of an interdisciplinary solution because it encourages individuals to forget about an old behavioral pattern and broadens professionals’ and patients’ understanding of collaboration (Burnes & Bargal, 2017). Therefore, the Change Theory of Nursing is relevant to the specified issue because it can change people’s feelings and behaviors and prove that a common goal is vital for effective treatment. The articles used are credible because they were posted in academic journals in 2017 and 2018.
Leadership Strategies That Could Lead to an Interdisciplinary Solution
A leadership approach that can effectively create an interdisciplinary solution to the identified problem is the transformational strategy. This type of leadership motivates followers to gain more knowledge about particular topics and, eventually, change their perceptions and opinions (Fischer, 2016). In addition, the transformational approach teaches individuals to act according to moral values and think about other people rather than personal interests (Fischer, 2016). This strategy can help develop an interdisciplinary resolution since it encourages professionals to share their visions and establish goals for collaborative work. Furthermore, it has the power to inspire, influence, and empower other people, which is essential for communication between nurses, doctors, and patients (Fischer, 2016). To have one clearly stated goal, all the members of the organization need to receive inspiration from the same ideas and values; hence, transformational leadership may help deal with the problem mentioned in the interview. The article used to explain the strategy is credible since it is up-to-date and posted in an official nursing journal.
Collaboration Approaches for Interdisciplinary Teams
Guidance and psychological support are two collaboration approaches that can be useful for interdisciplinary teams. As indicated by Morley & Cashell (2017), “healthcare involves the participation of patients, family, and a diverse team of often highly specialized healthcare professionals” (p. 207). Thus, the involvement of the team members is critical for providing adequate care. Since human interactions are the most important component of collective work, support and guidance can contribute to improved collaboration (Morley & Cashell, 2017). These approaches can encourage individuals to understand the role of mutual trust and respect and, eventually, develop the willingness and desire to collaborate (Lamont et al., 2015). By gaining knowledge about the role of healthy relationships within a group, people can learn how to set a common goal and, therefore, deal with the identified issue. The sources used for the explanation of the approach are relevant since they were posted within the last five years and written by medical specialists.
References
Burnes, B., & Bargal, D. (2017). Kurt Lewin: 70 years on. Journal of Change Management, 17(2), 91-100.
Fischer, S. A. (2016). Transformational leadership in nursing: A concept analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 72(11), 2644-2653.
Hussain, S. T., Lei, S., Akram, T., Haider, M. J., Hussain, S. H., & Ali, M. (2018). Kurt Lewin’s change model: A critical review of the role of leadership and employee involvement in organizational change. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 3(3), 123-127.
Lamont, S., Brunero, S., Lyons, S., Foster, K., & Perry, L. (2015). Collaboration amongst clinical nursing leadership teams: a mixed‐methods sequential explanatory study. Journal of nursing management, 23(8), 1126-1136.
Morley, L., & Cashell, A. (2017). Collaboration in health care. Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, 48(2), 207-216. Web.