Assessment 01
Collaboration and Leadership Reflection Video
For this assessment you will use Kaltura to create a 5–10 minute video reflection that addresses either an interprofessional collaboration you experienced or the case study on interprofessional collaboration presented below.
If you choose to reflect on the interprofessional case study presented below, imagine that you are a nurse on the team and you have been assigned to talk to members of the team prior to making the video reflection that you will share with the team and leadership where you will make recommendations to improve interprofessional collaboration.
After you have thoroughly reviewed the case study below, return to the detailed instructions in the courseroom to complete your assessment. Feel free to refer back to this case study as you complete your assessment.
Case Study:
Interprofessional Collaboration for Health Promotion
and Disease Prevention in a Community Health Center
Health promotion and disease prevention are essential components of primary care that require a coordinated and collaborative approach from healthcare professionals. Interprofessional collaboration is essential to ensure that patients receive comprehensive and coordinated care that addresses the social determinants of health and promotes health equity. This case study explores the interprofessional collaboration experience for health promotion and disease prevention in a community health center.
The community health center in this case study serves a diverse population of patients with a range of health needs. The interprofessional team includes public health officials, nurses, physicians, community health workers, and social workers who work together to develop and implement health promotion programs. The team provides ongoing care to patients, including health education, screening, and referrals to community resources.
The following are the responses when you asked each provider where the team could improve its interprofessional collaboration.
DR. SAMUEL ORTIZ, Public Health Official. Dr. Ortiz coordinates public health initiatives and liaises between the community health center and external health agencies. He offers guidance on public health advisories, manages disease prevention programs, and ensures the health center’s protocols align with broader public health strategies.
“I’m so glad you’re looking into what we can do to work together more efficiently and
offer our patients more support. Working in a community setting certainly has its unique set of challenges.
“One of the primary issues I’ve observed is the integration of health promotion strategies with clinical care. For instance, we recently rolled out a new diabetes prevention program that emphasizes diet and exercise. But I noticed not all the physicians were referring patients to the program, maybe due to a lack of awareness or understanding of the benefits. Many patients who could benefit from preventive strategies have been missing out.
“Another challenge is the coordination with external community resources. We often
refer patients to local gyms, nutritionists, or support groups. But sometimes, there’s a disconnect. I remember referring a patient to a local fitness center, only to find out later that they had shut down. We need a more updated and dynamic system to keep track of these community resources to ensure our patients get the support they need.”
NURSE LILY TOMSKI, Community Health Nurse. Nurse Tomski provides direct nursing care to patients in the community health center and engages in health promotion activities. She administers treatments, monitors patients’ health, provides health education, and offers support to both patients and their families.
“You always have a way of asking the tough questions, don’t you? But I’m glad you’re bringing this up. We’ve been through a lot together, and I think it’s essential to address these challenges head-on.
“The diversity of our patient population can be both a blessing and a challenge. I had a patient, Mrs. Cha, who needed dietary advice for managing her hypertension. I gave her our standard dietary guidelines, but she struggled because they didn’t align with her cultural food preferences—and sometimes she seemed to accept the recommendations but I wondered if there had been a language barrier that prevented me from communicating the importance of these dietary changes. We need more culturally tailored health promotion materials to serve our diverse community.
“And don’t even get me started on the logistical challenges of our health education
sessions. Remember the breast cancer screening workshop we organized last month? We had a great turnout, but the room was so cramped, and we ran out of materials. It’s frustrating when you want to provide the best care and education, but logistical issues get in the way. We need to plan better and maybe even allocate more funds for these essential programs. But challenges aside, I know we’re making an impact in the community every day, and I love our team. Want to grab some coffee this weekend?”
DR. AISHA PATEL, Primary Care Physician. Dr. Patel offers medical care to patients, focusing on both treatment and preventive measures. She diagnoses, prescribes treatments, and provides health education, ensuring patients receive comprehensive primary care.
“From a physician’s perspective, one of the challenges I often face is the time constraint during patient consultations. With the number of patients we see daily, it’s tough to spend adequate time discussing preventive measures. I had an asthma patient just a few days ago and I wanted to spend more time discussing the details of smoking cessation with him, but with back-to-back appointments, all I could was tell him his asthma would be a lot better if he quit and hand him a pamphlet.
“Another issue is the consistency in health promotion messages across the team. I
remember prescribing a specific dietary plan for a diabetic patient, only to find out later that she received a different set of guidelines during a health education session. We need to be sure our messages are consistent to avoid confusing our patients and damaging our team’s credibility with patients when there’s inconsistency.”
MARIA GONZALES, Community Health Worker. Ms. Gonzales engages directly with the community, offering health education and gathering insights on community health needs. She conducts home visits, organizes health talks, and acts as a bridge between the community and the health center.
“On the ground, one of the challenges I face almost every day is a lack of real-time
communication with the health center. When I’m out in the community, conducting home visits or health talks, I often come across new health concerns or issues. But relaying this information back to the center and getting timely feedback can be a hurdle.
“Additionally, there’s the challenge of building trust within the community. Many residents are wary of new health initiatives, probably due to cultural beliefs or previous negative experiences. I tried to introduce a new vaccination program in a particular neighborhood a year or two ago and the resistance was palpable. It took multiple sessions and collaborations with local leaders to gain their trust.”
JAMES KIM, Social Worker. Mr. Kim addresses the psychosocial needs of patients and connects them with relevant resources. He offers counseling, assists with social determinants of health, and connects patients with both internal and external resources.
“From my end, the big challenge often lies in addressing the social determinants of
health. Many of our patients face issues like unemployment, housing instability, or
domestic violence. These factors significantly impact their health, but our current system isn’t fully equipped to address them. Several patients of mine over the years repeatedly miss their appointments because they don’t have stable housing. We need more integrated services to address housing issues holistically.
“Another challenge is coordinating with mental health services. Many of our patients
require immediate psychological support, but the wait times for counseling and therapy are so long that it’s hard to keep a patient motivated to get the help they need. Just last week, a patient with severe depression reached out and the earliest appointment I could get for her was a month out. The same thing happened to her last time she reached out and she disappeared for almost a year and she sounded worse this time. We need to bolster our mental health services and make sure patients can access them when they need them.”
DR. ELEANOR McHUGH, Staff Epidemiologist. Dr. McHugh monitors and analyzes health data to guide the center’s health promotion and disease prevention strategies. She collects and analyzes community health data, conducts research studies, and makes sure that research findings are integrated into health promotion programs.
“This is a great conversation you’re starting—I’m glad you’re doing it. We really need to be keeping better tabs on gaps in service and performance so that we can address them properly.
“From an epidemiological standpoint, one of the big challenges I face is the timely
collection and analysis of health data from the community. For effective health promotion and disease prevention, we need up-to-the-minute data on disease prevalence, vaccination rates, and other health indicators, but there are often delays in data reporting, which impacts our interventions. During the flu season last year, transmission had already blown up by the time we realized the severity of the outbreak on the north side of the county. That data failure means more people get sick and our job is harder when we’re trying to protect their families and neighbors, because there’s already more stress on the health care system.
“Another issue is integrating research findings into practice. We conduct studies and
surveys every year to understand health behaviors and determinants in our community. But there’s often a gap between those findings and their implementation in our health promotion programs. We did a study a couple years ago on barriers to prenatal care in young mothers. The insights were valuable, but it took months before they were incorporated into our maternal health programs. We need a more streamlined approach to make sure that our research benefits the community as quickly as possible.
