Capella 4005 Assessment 3

Name

Capella university

NURS-FPX4005 Nursing Leadership: Focusing on People, Processes, and Organizations

Prof. Name

Date

Interdisciplinary Plan Proposal

This initiative focuses on improving communication between nurses and physicians during patient transitions and emergency care at St. Michael’s Medical Center. The intervention will be applied across the emergency department and inpatient units to ensure a standardized handoff process. The goal is to enhance teamwork across disciplines and reduce communication errors that may compromise patient safety. By institutionalizing effective communication tools, the organization aims to eliminate delays in care delivery and promote a culture of sustainable, collaborative practices.

Objective

St. Michael’s Medical Center intends to implement a standardized method of communication—SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation)—for interactions between nurses and physicians during patient handoffs and emergencies. The anticipated outcomes include a decrease in medical errors, reduced waiting periods for care, and overall improvements in patient outcomes. This standardization will help ensure more accurate and timely communication, ultimately supporting the hospital’s broader objective of enhanced patient safety and clinical efficiency.

Questions and Predictions

Several questions and corresponding expectations accompany the plan’s development:

Question	Predicted Outcome
How will SBAR implementation influence nurse-physician communication?	It is expected to improve the clarity and consistency of handoffs and reduce errors.
Will staff need training to adopt SBAR effectively?	Yes, but after initial training, it will streamline communication processes.
How will the protocol’s success be assessed?	By monitoring error rates, staff response time, and feedback from team members.
What obstacles may arise during protocol implementation?	Resistance to change and inconsistent adoption may require leadership reinforcement.
How will improved communication affect patient care outcomes?	Enhanced communication will likely result in faster clinical decisions and better safety.

Change Theories and Leadership Strategies

The application of Kurt Lewin’s Change Management Theory supports SBAR’s integration in multidisciplinary settings. The unfreezing stage involves raising awareness of communication breakdowns that pose safety threats. During the changing phase, the SBAR method is introduced through structured training and active clinical use. Finally, in the refreezing phase, the protocol is reinforced via leadership support, performance evaluations, and system integration (Ahaiwe, 2024). This structured approach aids in overcoming resistance and promotes lasting improvement in team communication.

A transformational leadership model is recommended to gain buy-in from all stakeholders. These leaders foster a participative environment through transparent communication, staff engagement, and shared decision-making. By encouraging continuous learning and role modeling effective use of SBAR, transformational leaders can foster accountability and mutual respect among team members. This results in better communication, fewer clinical errors, and a safer care environment (Ystaas et al., 2023).

Team Collaboration Strategy

Effective deployment of SBAR requires a team-based structure, where each member contributes according to their role. A clearly defined collaboration strategy ensures accountability and facilitates smooth implementation.

Team Role	Responsibilities
Nurse Educator	Conducts twice-monthly training for the first two months to prepare staff for SBAR implementation (Toumi et al., 2024).
Unit Manager	Oversees integration of SBAR into daily workflows, conducts weekly check-ins, and resolves practical issues.
Physicians & Nurses	Utilize SBAR for all critical handoffs and urgent updates; compliance monitored through feedback and observation.
Quality Improvement Team	Tracks SBAR impact on communication and safety metrics, delivering monthly performance reports to leadership.
Hospital Leadership	Provides long-term funding and policy support for SBAR and oversees quarterly evaluations to assess implementation sustainability.

The TeamSTEPPS framework will be used to enhance collaboration among multidisciplinary professionals. This system promotes a shared understanding of roles, reinforces respectful communication, and supports ongoing development through real-time coaching and debriefing. Periodic assessments ensure accountability and foster a safety-driven team culture. The combination of SBAR with TeamSTEPPS is expected to minimize medical errors and elevate overall patient care outcomes (Trujillo & Ann, 2022).

Required Organizational Resources

For this plan to succeed, sufficient personnel, infrastructure, access to digital systems, and funding must be secured. A multi-disciplinary training approach combining nurses, physicians, and administrative personnel will be employed to promote SBAR use in tandem with TeamSTEPPS principles (Hassan et al., 2024). Oversight by a project coordinator will ensure effective execution and real-time feedback. The organization already possesses fundamental resources such as EHR systems, communication devices, and training facilities needed for deployment.

Additional expenditures will include software for performance tracking, instructional materials, and professional development workshops. Training must be accessible across all care units, ensuring inclusion in handoff locations, communication hubs, and team meetings (Toumi et al., 2024). In-house training remains cost-effective; however, specialized external instruction may raise costs. Nonetheless, these investments are justified by the long-term benefits of reduced clinical errors, enhanced patient safety, and optimized team function.

Neglecting to act presents serious financial and clinical risks. Without structured communication practices, the organization faces continued safety lapses, increased readmission rates, and legal liability. Inconsistent collaboration also contributes to staff burnout, increased turnover, and diminished care quality—leading to greater operational costs and reduced institutional effectiveness.

References

Ahaiwe, L. (2024). The impact of Intervention to Reduce Acute Care Transfer (INTERACT) for Heart Failure (HF) patients in the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF). ProQuest. https://www.proquest.com/openview/982a82bf043e43c31c72dd9ff0267ee9/1?pq-origsite=gscholar\&cbl=18750\&diss=y

Hassan, A. E., Mohammed, F. A., Zakaria, A. M., & Ibrahim, I. A. (2024). Evaluating the effect of TeamSTEPPS on teamwork perceptions and patient safety culture among newly graduated nurses. BMC Nursing, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-01850-y

Toumi, D., Dhouib, W., Zouari, I., Ghadhab, I., Gara, M., & Zoukar, O. (2024). The SBAR tool for communication and patient safety in gynaecology and obstetrics: A Tunisian pilot study. BMC Medical Education, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05210-x