NURS FPX 4005 Assessment 2 Interview and Interdisciplinary Issue Identification

Student Name

Capella University

NURS FPX 4005 A2

Professor

June 2, 2025

Interview and Interdisciplinary Issue Identification

Interprofessional communication and collaboration is a cornerstone of safe, efficient and patient centered care. In cases where interdisciplinary coordination fails, delays occur, the problem of rising costs, and compromised quality delivery, will arise. The assessment report dwells upon one of the typical organizational issues such as discharge planning delays identified during an interview with one of the managers of Mercy General Hospital. It intends to address this concern and suggest evidence-based actions toward facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration and system improvement.

Interview Summary

In a recent interview, Sarah Thompson, RN, MSN, a nurse manager in Everett, Washington at Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento, California described a vexing organizational problem, the frequent failure to effectively plan discharges because of a breakdown in interdisciplinary communication. According to Thompson, the nurses often got last-minute information relayed by physicians and case managers found it hard to arrange post-acute care services well in advance, and this led to long stays in the hospital, higher expenses, and a reduced level of patient satisfaction. She elaborated on how such communication gaps hurt efficiency and slow transitions of care, foiling the idea that the discharge process should be more coordinated and teams based.

Strategies Employed in the Interview

I used a semi‐structured interview guide with open‐ended questions to be able to gather as much data as possible without limiting it to responses only. These questions provided Thompson with an opportunity to elaborate on her experiences and views. It is possible to use open-ended questions as the researchers and the organizational stakeholders could be better informed about difficult situations when quick research is required (Galura et al., 2022). I actively listened and reflected on what nurse was saying by paraphrasing her answers to clarify whether I understood and asked follow-up questions (e.g., Can you tell me about a recent example where the failure to communicate postponed a discharge?). I also made noticeable field notes on important points at the end of the discussion and allowed Thompson to explain more or clarify any point, which enhanced the validity and richness of the results of the interview.

Issue Identification

The problem that was identified through the interview of Nurse Thompson in the Mercy General Hospital is that there is no comprehensive timeous communication among members of the interdisciplinary team when planning discharge of patients. Such breakdown usually results in delays of discharge, poor utilization of resources, and a drop in patient satisfaction. The proposed evidence-based interdisciplinary approach will be quite suitable in solving this issue because the effective discharge planning is closely linked to the smooth interaction of physicians, nurses, case managers, and social workers. Kutz et al. (2022) backed the introduction of a rigid interprofessional collaboration as one of the fundamentals in maintaining the safety of the discharge of patients. The interdisciplinary approach will mean that every member of the team will contribute their experience when it is needed to facilitate progressive planning and the patient moving out of the hospital and back to their home.

Change Management and Leadership Theories

The Change Theory by Lewin provides a logical and systematic approach to leading interdisciplinary change to minimize the problem of delayed discharge planning at the Mercy General Hospital. According to Rousseau and Have. (2022), three phases unfreezing, changing, and refreezing enable teams to recognize the necessity of cooperating more effectively, execute the new way of communications, and formalize the process as one of the regular activities. The unfreezing stage can be implemented by involving employees in data sharing and freely discussing the negative effects that the existing delays in the discharge process cause. Change phase could include implementing formal interdisciplinary checklists or discharge rounds, whereas refreezing stage is aimed to support the mentioned practices by updating policies, educational sessions, and responsibilities.

Transformational leadership holds the most key to resolving the problem of the delayed discharge planning because it entails encouraging the team members to form around a certain vision such as enhanced provision to patients and efficiency in the system. This kind of leadership ensures confidence, transparency, and job development which are essential pillars of interdisciplinary collaboration success (Broome, 2024). As a transformational leader, one can facilitate orderly interdisciplinary huddles, endorse collection of feedback on communications procedures, and commendation of teamwork, at Mercy General Hospital. Leading by example and demonstrating transparency and inclusivity, the leader will minimize reaction to changes, make team members own the process, and achieve the long-term maintenance of the better results discharge processes and the elevated work performance of the nursing, case management, and physician teams.
Most Credible Source

The analysis of Change Theory presented by Rousseau and Have. (2022) is considered an excellent piece of analysis which can be beneficially used in the practice. In the same way, Broome. (2024) also provide empirical evidence of the effectiveness of transformational leadership in promoting personnel satisfaction and patient safety as well as in unity interdisciplinary collaboration. Strategy to enhance discharge planning at the Mercy General hospital is supported by their real world-based clinical settings rooted peer-reviewed study. The two sources are also very credible since they are rigorous in terms of their methods, which are relevant to nursing leadership, and they were published by reputable academic journals.

Collaboration Approaches

Collaboration plays a critical role in the problem of delayed discharge planning in Mercy General Hospital. Effective and convenient method of collaboration which can enhance process of discharge planning greatly is the daily interdisciplinary huddles. The mentioned short, concentrated meetings unite nurses, physicians, case managers, and other related personnel to explore the patient status, their readiness to be discharged, and impediments to care (Ibrahim et al., 2022). Huddles make the communication collaborative, lessen the fragmentation, assure complete alignment of disciplines and encourage proactive problem-solving. It is a strategy that promotes respect and responsibility which are important in the effective functioning of a team. Daily huddles in the Mercy General Hospital can help to perform discharges earlier since such practices enable regular communication and the early discovery of the needs of patients.

Another evidence-based strategy, which can bolster interdisciplinary collaboration, is the SBAR (situation-background-assessment-recommendation) communication framework. It professionalizes the method of exchanging information, making sure that essential information is properly and effectively conveyed between healthcare functions. SBAR is substantially effective in making the communication clear and minimizing the risk of misunderstanding in the important interaction (Albaharna et al., 2024). When it comes to the practice of discharge planning, SBAR enables nurses and case managers to present the physicians with information about discharge needs or concerns in an understandable, and thus, quicker, manner. Mercy General Hospital would have the opportunity of improving its team responsiveness by adopting this model, which would help improve its patient transition.

Most Credible

Study by Ibrahim et al. (2022) appears to be the most convincing in the case of enhancing interdisciplinary discharge planning. Their peer-reviewed work provides real-world information on the ability of structured, team-based discharge coordination to decrease delays and enhance care transitions. The authors outline the use of a multidisciplinary discharge team with evidence of quantitative progress in productivity and patient outcome. The practical nature of the article, its solid research methodology, and applicability to the issues of discharge in hospitals can be credited with making the article a solid and reliable source of information concerning the provision of solutions in Mercy General Hospital.

Conclusion

One of the issues that the interview showed was organizational issues such as delayed discharge planning in Mercy General Hospital. An evidence-based multidisciplinary intervention is needed to solve the problem of poor communication and care coordination. Transformational leader and Change Theory developed by Lewin can be applied to implement it successfully. Such implemented strategies as daily huddles and SBAR communication provide a viable collaboration-based conflict resolution to improve outcome and discharge processes.