Part 1 Determine how healthcare technology, the coordination of care, and community resources can be applied to address the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined. Plan to spend at least 2 practicum hours exploring these aspects of the problem with the patient, family, or group. During this time, you may also consult with subject matter and industry experts of your choice. Document the time spent (your practicum hours) with these individuals or groups in the Capella Academic Portal Volunteer Experience Form. Use the Practicum Focus Sheet: Assessment 3 [PDF] provided for this assessment to guide your work and interpersonal interactions. Part 2

How Care Coordination and the Utilization of Community Resources Can Be Used to Address Antibiotic Resistance

Care coordination is integral to all antibiotic stewardship programs across healthcare settings. It remains an innovative approach that draws healthcare professionals from different healthcare fields. The utility of this approach in antibiotic stewardship programs stems from recognizing the role of diverse healthcare professionals in infectious disease management. It also affirms the organization’s commitment to information sharing, a core antibiotic stewardship component. Care coordination in healthcare utilizes collaborative paradigms. Significant in this approach is the ability of healthcare providers drawn by this approach to embrace the fundamental principles of healthcare collaborations such as teamwork and team spirit, respect for self and others, accountability, role definition, interdependence, and effective communication. These strategies foster good therapeutic relationships between healthcare professionals and their patients and create an environment that encourages peer consultations. This necessitates the integration of this approach into antibiotic stewardship.

The utility of coordinative care utilizing collaborative paradigms has been lauded for its effectiveness in lessening the impact of antibiotic resistance. Mendelson et al. (2020) assert that care coordination is vital in antibiotic stewardship. Coordinative care provides a framework for patient monitoring, educating patients on the judicious use of antibiotics, and facilitating sound prescribing. Patient education is particularly beneficial in this regard. By informing patients about the harmful effects of misusing antibiotics and antibiotic resistance, caregivers can guarantee better accountability among communities. This reinforces the need for care coordination in the fight against antibiotic resistance.

Several community resources exist that provide information on antibiotic resistance. These resources remain valuable in lessening the health impacts of antibiotic resistance and affirm the commitment to educating communities on antibiotic stewardship. The CDC and the WHO are globally recognized bodies that report on antibiotic resistance. These organizations detail antimicrobial resistance patterns identified in all areas of the globe. Yau et al. (2021) report that the strategic information provided by the CDC and the WHO regarding resistance patterns has enabled care organizations to plan and avert the harmful effects of antibiotic resistance. Information obtained from these sources can inform the appropriate selection of antibiotics and the need for the prudent use of antibiotics. Through these resources, care organizations can design their localized essential lists and organizational policies that promote the rightful use of these medications. These resources are thus critical in the fight against antibiotic resistance.

The evidence obtained from the literature points to the significance of various community resources, such as the CDC and coordinative paradigms, in lessening the impact of antibiotic resistance. These provisions reinforce the need for information sharing on rational antibiotic use to lessen the impact of antibiotic resistance on communities. They also highlight the collectivistic approach in dealing with antibiotic resistance, as many stakeholders are drawn into this fight. Nursing education and practice highlight care coordination using collaborative approaches as a critical component of patient management. It emphasizes nursing roles in these approaches and accords nurses’ skills to effectively engage and interact with other healthcare professionals and how they can use these skills to maintain better accountability and promote the judicious use of antibiotics. In the presence of community resources, nurses’ roles in the multidisciplinary field are enhanced as they can leverage wider resources to educate their patients on the rational use of antibiotics.

The use of coordinative approaches and community resources in the fight against antibiotic resistance has sometimes met several barriers. Poor relationships between multidisciplinary team members, lack of effective organizational leadership, technological barriers, and unwillingness by some organizational members to utilize this approach may impede its effectiveness in lessening the harmful effects of antibiotic resistance. Team leadership, for instance, is a major determinant of effective care coordination. Leadership inspires organizational members to embrace innovative approaches in healthcare. Without good leaders, care processes are likely to fragment, resulting in an unsynchronized approach to antibiotic stewardship.