NURS-FPX4010 | Interdisciplinary Plan Proposal

Objective

The plan proposal aims to highlight the need for collaboration between emergency department staff and those in the primary care setting to reduce the number of patients’ visiting the emergency room for minor issues. Additionally, it underscores the importance of increasing the resources in the emergency department to improve the experience of patients and reduce congestion.

Questions and Predictions

        i.            Why is overcrowding a major issue in the emergency department? Overcrowding in the emergency department leads to patient’s dissatisfaction with the quality of care provided,  staff fatigue and burnout, increased patient mortality and morbidity, prolonged hospital stays

   ii.            How will collaboration between the emergency department and primary care setting health professionals help resolve overcrowding in the ED? The collaboration of staff between the two settings will help redirect patients with minor issues to the primary care setting. Physicians in the healthcare setting will be willing to utilize technology to provide care to patients in the evenings and over the weekends to eliminate congestion in the emergency department

    iii.            What is the role of healthcare leaders in solving emergency overcrowding? Provide resources to train  educate patients,  facilitate collaboration between primary care and emergency department staff, and address staffing issues in the ED

Change Theories and Leadership Strategies

Leaders determine the success of changes in an organization. They communicate the change process; encourage people to implement the change process, and continuously update them regarding the progress made. Therefore, the theory of planned change and democratic leadership style will help meet the change objective. Democratic leadership solicits view from individuals affected by the change process to minimize their resistance (Mansaray, 2019). The emergency department employees, the primary care setting medics, and organizational leaders have a significant responsibility in ensuring that the suggested changes are integrated into the culture of the organization.

 The theory of planned change provides steps to consider when examining the issue and identifying solutions to address it. The steps are seven in number and include: diagnosing the problem; assessing the capacity and motivation for change; examining the change agent motivation and resources; designing change strategies and objectives; identifying the change agent role and responsibilities; maintaining the change; and ensuring that the proposed changes become part of organizational culture (Burke, 2017). The seven steps require excellent communication between stakeholders, regular feedback, and practical problem-solving skills. These aspects require collaboration between key stakeholders to address overcrowding in the facility’s emergency department.

Team Collaboration

 The primary objective of the change management program is to reduce overcrowding in the emergency department, and in turn, reduce mortality and morbidity rates as well as healthcare spending.  Therefore, various stakeholders will assume multiple roles in addressing the issue as highlighted in the table below

Collaborative Approach

Both the emergency and primary c