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Blog: INTRA- AND INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION

Imagine that you are a DNP-prepared nurse responsible for overseeing a large intensive care unit (ICU). You have noticed that in the past three months, the number of nosocomial, or hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), has dramatically increased among patients who have undergone cardiovascular procedures. You would like to initiate a practice study to determine the source of these HAIs and to improve patient outcomes in your ICU. 

What types of intra- and interdisciplinary collaboration might be needed to support the goals of this practice study? 
One example of 
intra-disciplinary collaboration is that you might meet with the nursing manager in charge of your unit and ask to set up a brainstorming session with the nurses on the unit to explore their perceptions of why the HAIs have increased among patients who have undergone cardiovascular procedures. An example of 
interdisciplinary collaboration is that you might team up with an infection prevention specialist (who may be a PhD-prepared nurse or PhD-credentialed healthcare professional) who can address the problem from an alternative perspective. These are just two of many potential intra- and interprofessional collaborations that may take place in an advanced nursing practice situation like this. Keep in mind that when intra- and interprofessional colleagues work together toward a shared, patient-centric goal, both the quality and cost of the care delivered will be optimized (Johnson & Johnson, 2016). 

Reference: 

Johnson & Johnson. (2023, September 10). 
Nursing: 
The importance of interprofessional collaboration in healthcare.

To prepare:

· Review this week’s Learning Resources, paying special attention to the various strategies mentioned to foster intra- and interdisciplinary collaboration in nursing practice.

· Reflect on your own previous professional experiences with intra- and interdisciplinary collaboration.

· Consider the various intra- and interprofessional individuals and groups with whom you worked and the ways in which you interacted.

· Choose 
one specific challenge you faced and reflect on how you and your colleagues overcame it.

· Choose 
one specific opportunity you faced and reflect on how you and your colleagues embraced it.

By Day 3 of Week 6

Address the following in your Blog entry:

· Describe 
one relevant professional experience you have had with intra- and interdisciplinary collaboration.

· Describe the various intra- and interprofessional individuals and groups with whom you worked and the ways in which you interacted.

· Describe
 one specific challenge you faced and explain how you and your colleagues overcame it. Be specific.

· Describe
 one opportunity you faced and explain how you and your colleagues embraced it. Be specific.

RESOURCES:

· Africa, L., Frantz, J. M., & Mlenzana, N. B. (2023). 
Activities to promote interprofessional practice at primary healthcare level: A systematic reviewLinks to an external site.. 
Social and Health Sciences, Article 12130.

· American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (n.d.). 

The essentials: Domain 6: Interprofessional partnershipsLinks to an external site.
. AACN.

· Bradley, C., & Bleich, M. (2024). 
The DNP graduate and the potential to advance nursing: An interview with thought leader Michael Bleich, PhD, RN, FAANLinks to an external site., 
Nursing Administration Quarterly, 48(1), 80–82.

· Interprofessional Education Collaborative. (2023). 
 

IPEC core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice (Version 3)Links to an external site.
. IPEC.

· Ho, J. T., See, M. T. A., Tan, A. J. Q., Levett-Jones, T., Lau, T. C., Zhou, W., & Liaw, S. Y. (2023). 
Healthcare professionals’ experiences of interprofessional collaboration in patient education: A systematic reviewLinks to an external site.. 
Patient Education and Counseling, Article 107965. 

· King, R. J., Heisey-Grove, D. M., Garrett, N., Scott, K. A., Daley, M. F., Haemer, M. A., Podila, P., Block, J. P., Carton, T., Gregorowicz, A. J., Mork, K. P., Porter, R. M., Chudnov, D. L., Jellison, J. Kraus, E. M., Harrison, M. R., Sucosky, M. S., Armstrong, S., & Goodman, A. B. (2022). 
The childhood obesity data initiative: A case study in implementing clinical-community infrastructure enhancements to support health services research and public healthLinks to an external site.. 
Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 
28(2), E430–E440. 

· McLaney, E., Morassaei, S., Hughes, L., Davies, R., Campbell, M., & Di Prospero, L. (2022). 
A framework for interprofessional team collaboration in a hospital setting: Advancing team competencies and behavioursLinks to an external site.. 
Healthcare Management Forum, 35(2), 112–117.

· Merriam, D., Wiggs, C., Provencio, R., Goldschmidt, K., Bonnett, P., Valazza, V., Brodhead, J., Scardaville, D., & Stalter, A. (2022). 
Concept analysis of systems thinking in the context of interprofessional practice and improved patient outcomesLinks to an external site.. 
Nursing Education Perspectives, 
43(4), E20–E25.

· O’Leary, N., Salmon, N., O’Donnell, M., Murphy, S., & Mannion, J. (2023). 
Interprofessional education and practice guide: Profiling readiness for practice-based IPELinks to an external site.. 
Journal of Interprofessional Care, 
37(1), 150–155.

· Ruebling, I., Eggenberger, T., Frost, J. S., Gazenfried, E., Greer, A., Khalili, H., Ochs, J., Ronnebaum, J., & Stein, S. M. (2023). 
Interprofessional collaboration: A public policy healthcare transformation call for actionLinks to an external site.. 
Journal of Interprofessional Education and Practice, 
33, Article 100675.