Capella FPX 4005 Assessment 3
Capella FPX 4005 Assessment 3
Name
Capella university
NURS-FPX4005 Nursing Leadership: Focusing on People, Processes, and Organizations
Prof. Name
Date
Interdisciplinary Plan Proposal
At Hackensack Meridian Health in New Jersey, a targeted initiative aims to reduce communication errors and nurse burnout in the Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) by addressing unsafe nurse-to-patient ratios and enhancing interdisciplinary communication. This will be achieved by integrating structured team communication protocols, mental health support resources, and technology-driven coordination tools such as Electronic Health Record(EHR)-integrated messaging systems. This proposal outlines a plan to be presented to an interprofessional team that will work collaboratively to mitigate burnout and communication breakdowns and stabilize staffing at Hackensack Meridian Health through sustainable, interdisciplinary solutions.
Objective
Implement an evidence-based interdisciplinary communication protocol and staffing support strategy in the NICU at Hackensack Meridian Health to reduce communication breakdowns and nurse burnout and improve care coordination and neonatal outcomes. If achieved, this objective will enhance patient safety, streamline care delivery, and foster a more collaborative, supportive environment—eventually leading to better clinical results for critically ill newborns and improved job satisfaction and retention among NICU nurses.
Questions and Predictions
- How much time will structured interdisciplinary communication protocols (e.g., daily huddles or team briefings) add to the typical shift?
These hurdles may initially add 10–15 minutes to each shift but are expected to reduce miscommunications and rework, thereby saving time in the long run.
- Will integrating real-time communication tools like EHR-based messaging (e.g., EPIC chat) improve care coordination?
Yes, using integrated messaging will likely reduce care delays by at least 20%, allowing faster collaboration between nurses and physicians.
- Can nurse burnout be measurably reduced within 6 months of implementing mental health support and optimized scheduling?
Burnout scores on staff well-being assessments (e.g., Maslach Burnout Inventory) should show a 15–25% improvement within six months of implementation (Rehder et al., 2021).
- How will better communication and staffing practices impact patient outcomes?
Improved interdisciplinary communication and reduced nurse fatigue will result in more timely interventions, fewer care delays, and shorter infant NICU stays (Kaemingk et al., 2022).
- Will agency nurse use decline as staffing levels stabilize?
With more predictable scheduling and improved retention, reliance on agency nurses may decrease by 10–15% over a year, reducing costs and enhancing team consistency.
Change Theories and Leadership Strategies
Kotter’s 8-Step Change Theory will be useful in leading the interdisciplinary team since it is a framework that will help manage change (Silvola et al., 2024). This theory starts by establishing the concept of pressure, which is crucial in the NICU environment, as missed communication and staff scarcity result in negative consequences for infants. Thus, the team of NICU nurses, neonatologists, social workers, and unit managers can develop a vision to enhance patient safety and the condition of staff members by changing communication and staffing patterns. Some actions, for example, can be allowing broad-based achievement and making short-term wins, such as experimenting with interdisciplinary huddles daily (Mendez, 2024).
Another consideration is that Hackensack Meridian has used similar improvement frameworks in the past to increase adult ICU patient throughput; therefore, there is organizational preparedness to implement the study’s change models.Kotter’s model is supported by transformational leadership in that the NICU team is encouraged to embrace the vision and work towards the same. Lack of individual consideration and intellectual stimulation are the two factors in low-performing organizations but are vital in the NICU, where pressure is experienced. They foster communication, staff development, and innovation, which empowers the nurses to express their opinions in practice settings.
At Hackensack Meridian Health, transformational leadership has been incorporated into leadership development initiatives and is consistent with Magnet Recognition and a feasible approach at the organization (Jankelová & Joniaková, 2021) . Both Kotter’s theory and transformational leadership can be applied to the organization of Hackensack Meridian. They are a way of offering direction on how change will be achieved, how interdisciplinary collaboration will happen, and the ways of ensuring that the project plan will be effective since it will be based on trust and results, hence being in line with the hospital’s values of excellence and teamwork. These are important in mitigating communication difficulties and staff exhaustion in one of New Jersey’s most active NICUs.
Team Collaboration Strategy
The collaboration approach best suited for Hackensack Meridian Health’s NICU is interprofessional team-based care, emphasizing shared goals, clearly defined roles, mutual trust, and effective communication. Successful implementation of this model requires daily interdisciplinary huddles, regular case conferences, and real-time communication tools like EPIC (Empathy, Purpose, Insight, and Conversation) chat. According to the literature, best practices in multidisciplinary collaboration include structured communication methods such as SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) and consistent team membership to build rapport and understanding (Cuchna et al., 2021).
These practices reduce miscommunication and streamline care coordination. At Hackensack Meridian, where care for critically ill newborns involves neonatologists, nurses, respiratory therapists, and social workers, fostering collaboration ensures cohesive care delivery. This approach aligns with the NICU’s high-acuity needs and increases the likelihood of improving patient outcomes and staff satisfaction.
Organizational Resources
The following organizational resources are required to use the interdisciplinary communication and staffing support plan in Hackensack Meridian Health’s NICU. Some other staff requirements are to hire 2–3 full-time nurses or more permanent float staff since the agency nurses cost the hospital 30% more per hour. Equipment and supplies include enhancing the existing EPIC electronic health record system with live communication tools such as EPIC chat and scheduling, which might cost between $10,000 and $15,000 to configure and train. Another crucial resource is time; therefore, dedicating 15 minutes a day for interdisciplinary huddles would mean reorganizing the shift time but not many extra costs.
It will also be necessary to gain access to patient records, NICU team meetings, and leadership briefings; these needs are not associated with any direct financial cost (Brickson et al., 2024). If this plan is not followed, continuous communication breakdown and the high rate of nurse turnover in this unit due to burnout can amount to $40,000–$60,000 per nurse in terms of the cost of recruitment and training of new nurses, besides the consequences of adverse events in neonates, which will negatively affect the reputation and financial stability of this hospital. If nothing is done to address these issues, the strain on current resources will worsen, leading to increased overtime costs, further staff burnout, and higher liability risks due to compromised patient safety and poor clinical outcomes (Fu et al., 2023).
Conclusion
Hackensack Meridian Health must address communication and staffing in its NICU to promote patient safety and increase nurse satisfaction. Change is established by enhancing cooperation among stakeholders across different departments, facilitated by implementing transformational leadership and Kotter’s Change Theory. The structured communication tools and team-based practices will reduce the time taken in care delivery. In the long run, this approach improves care delivery and enhances the physical environment of the NICU for patients.
References
Brickson, C., Keniston, A., Knees, M., & Burden, M. (2024). Characterizing electronic messaging use among hospitalists and its association with patient volumes. Journal of Hospital Medicine, 19(12), 1131–1137. https://doi.org/10.1002/jhm.13462
Cuchna, J., Manspeaker, S., & Wix, A. (2021). Promoting interprofessional communication through situation, background, assessment, and recommendation (SBAR): An educational technique. Athletic Training Education Journal, 16(4), 255–261. https://doi.org/10.4085/1947-380x-19-079
Fu, M., Song, W., Yu, G., Yu, Y., & Yang, Q. (2023). Risk factors for length of NICU stay of newborns: A systematic review. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2023.1121406
Capella FPX 4005 Assessment 3
Jankelová, N., & Joniaková, Z. (2021). Communication skills and transformational leadership style of first-line nurse managers in relation to job satisfaction of nurses and moderators of this relationship. Healthcare, 9(3), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9030346
Kaemingk, B. D., Hobbs, C. A., Streeton, A. C., Morgan, K., Schuning, V. S., Melhouse, J. K., & Fang, J. L. (2022). Improving the timeliness and efficiency of discharge from the NICU. Pediatrics, 149(5). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-052759
Mendez, C. A. (2024). Cooling nurse burnout: A theoretical approach to patient care. Health Economics and Management Review, 5(4), 110–120. https://doi.org/10.61093/hem.2024.4-07
Rehder, K., Adair, K. C., & Sexton, J. B. (2021). The science of health care worker burnout: Assessing and improving health care worker well-being. Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, 145(9), 1095–1109. https://doi.org/10.5858/arpa.2020-0557-ra
Capella FPX 4005 Assessment 3
Silvola, S., Restelli, U., Croce, D., & Basu, D. (2024). Change management for services redesign in healthcare: A conceptual framework. PubMed, 65(3), 410–433. https://doi.org/10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2024.65.3.3023