5 Ways to Promote Interprofessional Collaboration in Nursing

One of healthcare’s ongoing battles is fragmented patient care. Many — including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — are combatting this by insisting on better interprofessional collaboration. In nursing, this translates to teamwork across healthcare professions and specialties to achieve better patient outcomes.

Although this may seem like a simple idea, misunderstandings over definitions and concepts can lead to missed opportunities for evidence-based teamwork. In this article, we’ll provide some clarity with an overview and meaningful examples of interprofessional collaboration in nursing.

What Is Interprofessional Collaboration in Nursing?

Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) in nursing is a cooperative approach to providing care. It can help care become less fragmented and more comprehensive, treating the whole patient rather than aspects of a diagnosis. This model of care delivery relies on team members to:

• Model accountability and respect for roles and responsibilities.
• Demonstrate a commitment to shared goals and values.
• Utilize open, professional communication.
• Share decision making, leveraging expertise and knowledge.
• Facilitate improvements to team dynamics and functionality.

You may be wondering how this differs from interdisciplinary teamwork. It’s primarily a matter of semantics. Often, the term interdisciplinary is used to describe aligned professionals who are striving toward a goal rooted in education or learning. When describing a cooperative approach to care provision, interprofessional collaboration is the more accurate term.

Interprofessional collaboration in nursing examples span all care settings. Some include:

• A floor nurse, certified nursing assistant, wound care nurse, physical therapist, hospitalist, endocrinologist, and primary care provider working to address a newly discovered necrotic toe ulceration on a patient with diabetes.
• A care technician, physician assistant, orthopedic surgeon, physical therapist, and primary care provider collaborating to manage the surgical recovery for a ligament reconstruction in a young athlete.

What Are the Benefits of Interprofessional Collaboration in Nursing?

The benefits of IPC often extend beyond the patient, positively impacting the work environment and job satisfaction of participating team members. In fact, the many benefits signify the importance of IPC in nursing. For a more detailed breakdown of the approach’s merits, please refer below.

How to Promote Interprofessional Collaboration in Healthcare: 5 Methods

Prioritizing nursing’s part in the IPC model harnesses their close-up knowledge and whole-person perspective on patient care. Nurses are also well-equipped to serve in leadership capacities within those teams because of the advocacy that defines their professional core values. To hone that potential within your own organization, here are some best practices and tips for optimizing IPC initiatives.

1. Implement Structured Co-Disciplinary Rounding

Interprofessional rounding can reduce hospital stays and save healthcare-related costs. Consider implementing this strategy as a first step to driving better collaboration—not just between professionals, but also with the patient.

Tips:

• Designate standard times for rounding with provider teams so that interdisciplinary team members can plan their days around making it to collaborative rounds.
• Implement communication tools (like ARCC, for example) to encourage all team members to speak up and lend their expertise.

2. Encourage Team-Based Education and Training

Interprofessional education opportunities improve role clarity and responsibility designation. Having the opportunity to learn together and build skills not only provides the information to better address patient needs, it broadens knowledge about other disciplines, facilitating an environment of mutual respect and inclusivity.

Tips:

• Consider simulation events that involve the whole team.
• Institute quarterly education events that focus on increasing awareness around roles and specific disciplines hosted by leaders or volunteers from that focus discipline.

3. Organize the Environment to Foster Integration

Studies have shown that interprofessional collaboration can be held back by temporospacial obstacles. Limit these by creating an environment that encourages interprofessional mingling and is conducive to building better rapport.

Tips:

• Identify specific computers for different members of the care team (doctors or physical therapists, for example) for use at the nurses’ station to facilitate ease of communication.
• Create a common break room and encourage multidisciplinary use of the shared space — through potlucks or coffee stations, for example.

4. Prioritize Data Sharing and Consultation

Data siloes can lead to fragmented and costly care. By encouraging consultation and data sharing, health teams are better equipped to treat the patient as a whole person. This holistic approach ensures that all care plans are respected and conferred upon, avoiding accidental cessation of certain treatment measures due to lack of consultation.

Tips:

• Prioritize interoperable features of electronic health record systems to streamline communication among healthcare professionals while ensuring robust security.
• Consider implementing ‘crowdsource’ style meetings to encourage whole team discussions that include nursing personnel to address difficult diagnoses and treatment decisions.

5. Maintain Ongoing Support for IPC Initiatives

Authentic leadership — which models ethical, team-oriented priorities — has conclusively proven to enhance IPC. Providing ongoing support also reflects the institutional value of IPC, encouraging team members to continue working together and overcoming challenges rather than being dissuaded by them.

Tips:

• Review and reform institutional policies to ensure they reflect the prioritization of IPC.
• Consider implementing quarterly awards that celebrate nursing and healthcare teams that have effectively engaged in IPC initiatives.

Ready to Roll Out Other Initiatives for Your Healthcare Team?

Best practice recommendations, for anything from interprofessional collaboration in nursing to mentorship programs, provide a framework for success. Let IntelyCare take the guesswork out of current approaches with facility guides and helpful tips to ensure the effectiveness of your latest initiatives.