With the development of various healthcare modalities, including community care, numerous care delivery models have emerged and adapted to these new approaches. The interdisciplinary method is among the most prominent because of its broad applicability and the potential to improve outcomes through effective collaboration. As such, it is increasingly becoming a topic of discussion and a critical aspect of evidence-based care. The author’s DPI project can also benefit from an interdisciplinary health care delivery model because of its community focus and the specifics of its method. This paper will describe the approach, discuss its sustainability, and describe its application to the project.
As with multidisciplinary care, interdisciplinary care involves multiple professionals with different specializations who work on the health of a single patient. However, as Plake et al. (2016) highlight, interdisciplinary care involves effective communication and collaboration between the different team members and the patient. Medical professionals work together to develop a comprehensive yet straightforward response that results in effective treatment and improved outcomes rather than viewing the various issues that a patient has separately and prescribing a variety of measures and treatments to address it. As such, this model is a direct improvement over multidisciplinary care, as it involves the same or a smaller effort to achieve superior results.
The model is still relatively recent and developing rapidly in terms of both theory and practice. New applications of interdisciplinary health care delivery models emerge regularly and contribute to the improvement of patient outcomes. However, the novelty of interdisciplinary care also leads to concerns regarding its long-term sustainability. Porter-O’Grady and Malloch (2017) express concern over the lack of experience with multilateral interactions among some nurses, which leads to the emergence of conflicts that can be challenging to resolve. Additional engagement in interdisciplinary care is necessary, beginning at the education stage and continuing in various practice environments. Moreover, without competent and experienced leaders who are skilled in conflict management, the success of many initiatives that are based on the model is not guaranteed.
The interdisciplinary model of health care delivery may be relevant to the author’s DPI project due to its proposed realization approach. Shock (2019) identifies it as a popular approach in community healthcare, where physician assistants and nurse practitioners cooperate with social and community health workers. Interdisciplinary models can be used to create improved educational programs, as various people who interact with senior patients interact to address the multiple concerns that they recognize and suggest innovative solutions. The participants will then attain an improved understanding of the model when they deliver the intervention in practice, which would enable them to implement it at a higher quality.
Overall, the model appears to be promising in general care as well as community-oriented initiatives, specifically. It enables the improvements in efficiency and the results achieved by teams of healthcare workers at little to no additional cost. As such, its increasing usage in various areas and disciplines of care is most likely justified and beneficial. However, the issues that emerge with the adoption of the interdisciplinary model also warrant consideration. Both the current and the new nursing workers should have excellent competencies in communication with members of other professions. As such, education on the matter through theory and practical experience is necessary, and leaders who are skilled in conflict management are both required.
References
- Plake, K. S., Schafermeyer, K. W., & McCarthy, R. L. (2016). McCarthy’s introduction to health care delivery: A primer for pharmacists (6th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
- Porter-O’Grady, T., & Malloch, K. (2017). Quantum leadership: Creating sustainable value in health care (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
- Shock, L. P. (2019). Models of population health. Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice, 46(4), 595-602.