Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
4-13-2023
Abstract
Optimal care of the critically ill neonate requires Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) colleagues to work interdependently, with the quality of teamwork linked to the quality and safety of healthcare delivery. Patient outcomes suffer when a complex healthcare unit lacks cohesion, as evidenced by occurrence of preventable patient harm events or unintentional deviation from evidence-based standards of care practices. Barriers to a successful team dynamic may include inadequate interdisciplinary communication, siloed approaches to unit education, or an individual-centric practice culture. This project aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and provide centralized support to increase teamwork dynamics and quality of care within the NICU.
Methods: Medical team leadership, nursing leadership, and unit educators worked together to implement a monthly multidisciplinary Quality-Improvement-Centered (QIC) meeting. The agenda was standardized across meetings, designed to both present new information and provide opportunity for discussion. All NICU care teams and disciplines were informed and invited to participate. Attendance composition and project participation were tracked over the course of nine months as proxy for engagement.
Data/Results: Multidisciplinary project participation increased while attendance at meetings grew both in number and discipline composition, thus showing improvement in engagement over the course of this period. Statistical analysis of results has not been obtained given the small sample size and paucity of external validity measures.
Conclusions: Establishing a standardized, interdisciplinary QIC meeting can provide a forum to foster collaboration, promote discussion, and ensure adequate understanding of practice changes. These elements together have the potential to improve healthcare team dynamics and optimize patient outcomes in the NICU, while creating a more positive, engaging, and resilient workspace.
Recommended Citation
Mullen, N; L Hall; D Condrey; and D Novak. "Implementation of a Standardized Quality-Improvement-Centered Multidisciplinary Meeting to Improve Quality of Patient Care by Optimizing Teamwork." (2023). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/hsc_2023_pediatric_research/13
Comments
Poster presented at Pediatric Research Forum