Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Interprofessional Collaboration To Improve Discharge Planning, Erica L. Spalding

Doctoral Projects

Historically, health care professionals collaborated solely with other professionals within the same discipline. However, evidence shows collaboration between all disciplines involved in patient care leads to improved patient outcomes. Interprofessional collaboration can reduce costs and improve patient care, yet is used inconsistently in health care systems. Interprofessional collaboration was not fully used on two medical-surgical units in a large health system in the Midwest, particularly during the discharge planning process. This project aimed to standardize rounds on two units as part of a larger initiative to standardize rounds across all units within the system. The clinical question to be answered …

Interprofessional Collaboration During Discharge Planning For A Large Midwestern Hospital, Sarah Shepler

Doctoral Projects

Introduction: Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) improves the quality of healthcare delivery. IPC enhances communication during discharge planning, through use of structured daily rounds to reduce readmissions, length of stay (LOS), cost, and mortality. A $240 billion reduction in cost could be achieved with IPC. The Joint Commission, Institute of Medicine, and World Health Organization emphasize use of IPC to reduce errors, improve patient outcomes, and refine transitions of care for patients.

Objectives: The goal of this project was to determine how IPC within structured daily rounds during discharge planning impacts patient LOS and staff satisfaction.

Methods: This quality improvement project was …

Improving Care Of Behavioral Health Patients In A Rural Emergency Department: A Needs Assessment, Margaret Perec

Doctoral Projects

Leadership and staff at a rural Critical Access Hospital (CAH)have identified the need for interventions to address the specific care issue of behavioral health patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). The ED has experienced a higher than expected number of visits, which has presented the department with challenges, especially in finding placements for patients who need inpatient treatment. ED management and staff have reported many patients have experienced long lengths of stay in the ED while waiting for beds.

A needs assessment attempts to identify characteristics of patients who remain in the ED for extended lengths of time, and …