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Theory Paper

Student's Name: C. N

Institutional Affiliation: W U

Course Name and Number: NSG 501

Instructor's Name: Dr. Finch

Date: March 28, 2022

Theory Paper

The theory that I have created based on my specific practice area is Ayine's theory of collaborative engagement as the genesis of improved healthcare outcomes. The theory emphasizes the need for effective teamwork between different groups of individuals within the healthcare environment in enhancing the quality of care that patients receive. The theory is made up of two significant concepts that are vital to healthcare dissemination: collaborative engagements and improved healthcare outcomes. It seeks to deduce how these two noteworthy frameworks critical to effective healthcare dissemination can be interrelated to elicit positive results in the treatment process.

The goal of the theory is to create significant quality improvement measures to enhance the quality of care that patients receive in the clinical setting. It aims to increase the efficiency with which healthcare services are provided in the clinical setting to ensure that the dynamic needs of patients are addressed adequately. The vital connection in this context is the link between effective collaboration in the healthcare setting and improved care outcomes (Saint-Pierre et al., 2018). This essay presents a theory I have created that can be used in my clinical practice. It explains the key concepts in theory and how they are interconnected. It also explores the role of research in developing and using the theory and provides an example of how it can be applied in a specific client situation.

A Description of the Key Concepts that Make Up the Theory

Collaborative Engagements

The first concept in the theory is collaborative engagements. Collaborative engagements are significant aspects in the clinical setting. It alludes to the process of working together to reach the ultimate goal of healthcare dissemination, which is to provide quality care to patients that align with their specific needs (Pacifico Silva et al., 2018). It is a concept with many significant facets in delivering patient-centered care.

Collaborative Engagements among the Multidisciplinary Team Tasked with Patient Care

Collaborative engagement between healthcare providers is essential for patients being cared for comprehensively. Usually, a team of healthcare providers with specialties in different disciplines collaborate in caring for ailing individuals (Pomare et al., 2020). The purpose of the collaboration is to ensure that the dynamic medical needs of patients are catered for adequately. The team comprises different healthcare providers, including general practitioners, registered nurses, pharmacists, and laboratory technicians (Saint-Pierre et al., 2018). Subsequently, depending on the needs of patients, other healthcare providers such as cardiologists, neurologists, psychiatrists, social workers or physiotherapists and dieticians can also be included in the team.

Collaborative engagements between the healthcare professionals involved in the care of patients are significant because it necessitates a comprehensive assessment of patients and the creation of an effective care plan that draws from the expertise of different professionals. The care model has a profound impact on care delivery because several professionals supervise it; hence the chances of experiencing adverse outcomes such as medical errors are minimal (Saint-Pierre et al., 2018). The collaborations also ensure that the available resources are used optimally to elicit positive effects in the treatment process.

Collaborative Engagements between Patients, their families, and Healthcare Providers

Collaborative engagements between healthcare providers and patients and their families are significant factors determining the effectiveness of the processes used in care delivery. The healthcare providers engage ailing individuals in the care process by considering their preferences while making medical decisions (Pomare et al., 2020). The process involved informing the patients about the different approaches that can be used in their treatment and their merits and demerits and letting them participate in determining which treatment strategy is most suitable to patients' needs. The process is significant because it increases the extent to which patients are satisfied with the quality of care they receive in the clinical setting (Pomare et al., 2020). Collaborative engagement between the medical team and the patients and their families also plays a significant role in equipping these individuals with the skills they need to manage self-care effectively to reduce incidences of readmission after discharge through practical discharge planning exercises.

Collaborative Engagement between Healthcare Providers and Stakeholders

Collaborations with stakeholders play a significant role in the healthcare setting. It comprises teaming up with individuals such as the community, government agencies and administrations of healthcare organizations and the patient population in providing quality care. The stakeholders play several critical roles in care planning and delivery. For example, they aid in designing the protocols used in the healthcare units and give feedback on their effectiveness in providing quality care to patients (Saint-Pierre et al., 2018). They also help transform the healthcare organization by making policy changes that aim to improve service delivery in healthcare systems.

Improved Healthcare Outcomes

Improved healthcare outcomes are also a significant concept inherent in my theory. It refers to the process where therapeutic interventions enhance patients' quality of life. These aspects are gauged through various elements that are experienced following the initialization of the treatment process (World Health Organization, 2021). These elements include the duration of hospitalization. Lengthy hospitalization implies that the treatment approaches used in the care of the patients may be inadequate. On the other hand, reducing the period patients usually stay in the hospital implies that the protocols used to achieve positive outcomes. Another significant measure of healthcare outcomes is the number of times ailing individuals visit the emergency for primary care. Constant revisits to the point of care for further examinations and care and readmissions after discharge are indicators that the correct protocols have not been used to treat patients. Subsequently, substantial medical costs and staying long in the waiting room before receiving treatment also indicate that patients are not receiving quality care that meets their needs (World Health Organization, 2021). Also, patients' dissatisfaction with the treatment they receive in the healthcare organization is a significant factor that indicates that the quality of care they receive is questionable and leads to adverse treatment outcomes.

Relationship between the Two Concepts

Collaborative engagements and healthcare outcomes are interrelated because one concept determines the other. Ideally, collaborative engagements in the healthcare organization determine the results of therapeutic interventions. For example, collaborative engagements between healthcare providers reduce negative elements such as medical errors, improving healthcare outcomes (Graffigna & Barello, 2018). The improved healthcare outcomes are evident in reducing the number of days those patients are hospitalized and the cost incurred while seeking medical treatment. It can also be gauged in terms of the incidences of re-hospitalization after a patient is discharged from the hospital or incidences such as patient falls that indicate that inadequate practices have been incorporated in patient care.

Role of Research in the Development and Use of my Theory

Nursing research has a significant influence on the development and use of my theory. The investigative studies are vital in identifying gaps in the healthcare systems that need practical solutions. As primary caregivers, nurses interact closely with patients, hence, are familiar with significant aspects such as the challenges encountered in care planning and discharging (Pacifico Silva et al., 2018). Therefore, their contributions are vital in determining the approaches to care delivery that should be improved. They can do so by carrying out investigative studies to evaluate the effectiveness of the processes used in the care of patients. Afterwards, they can use the findings of their investigations as evidence to make conclusive assertions that can help in improving the quality of care that patients receive in the treatment process.

For example, I perused several investigative studies to determine the relationship between collaborative engagement and improved healthcare outcomes to assess the relationship between the two concepts and how they can be used in the clinical setting to improve patients' quality of care. As indicated by World Health Organization (2021), nursing research is a vital process that aids in compiling compelling information that can help in improving the outcomes of healthcare dissemination. Some of the elements that nursing research explores and finds evidence-based solutions for include the best approaches for preventing ailments and managing disorders.

Graffigna and Barello (2018) posit that nursing research is classified into three significant categories. The first cluster is clinical research, which focuses on the processes used in caring for ailing individuals. The second cluster is the nursing education research which examines the strategies that can improve nursing education. Consequently, healthcare systems and outcomes research explore how the quality of healthcare dissemination can be enhanced and its costs reduced. My theory is an example of a theoretical concept that examines how quality care can be improved to elicit positive outcomes. For example, investigative studies show that a lack of effective collaboration among members of the multidisciplinary team tasked with the care of patients precipitates negative results, such as an increase in medical errors (Pomare et al., 2020). Therefore, it highlights the essentiality of promoting effective collaborative engagements in the healthcare environment, including teamwork between healthcare workers, engagement of ailing individuals and members of their families, and collaborating with stakeholders.

Example of how My Concept can be applied in a Specific Client Situation in Practice

An example of a situation when my theory and concept can be used in the clinical setting is caring for a patient hospitalized with high blood pressure and diabetes. The patient has two chronic conditions that should be managed using best practices to ensure that he is healed promptly and entirely (Pomare et al., 20200. My theory states that collaborative engagements are the genesis of improved healthcare outcomes. Therefore, it is necessary to examine the roles those different collaborations in the clinical setting play in enhancing the effects of the patient's treatment.

The first essential collaboration that determines the quality of care that the patient needs is collaboration between the members of the multidisciplinary teams tasked with caring for the patient. These professionals include a cardiologist, a general physician, dietician, nurse, pharmacist, and laboratory technologist. They will be required to work cohesively by using practices such as communicating effectively during the treatment process and planning the treatment process jointly to ensure that the best practices are used in every step of the care process. Evidently, each healthcare provider plays a significant role in the care of the patients (Saint-Pierre et al., 2018). However, they must work cohesively to ensure that all the necessary processes elicit positive treatment outcomes. For example, the cardiologist will ensure that the patient's blood pressure is controlled effectively by prescribing effective medication. On the other hand, the dietician will advise the patient on the dietary intake to avoid unprecedented spikes in his blood pressure and sugar levels (Saint-Pierre et al., 2018). Consequently, the nurse will also play a vital role by advising the patient on the lifestyle changes he needs to improve his health and well-being, such as refraining from consuming alcoholic beverages and exercising frequently.

Another vital collaborative engagement that is needed in the healthcare setting to elicit positive outcomes is the treatment process is engaging the patient and his family members. Encouraging the participation of the patient and his family members in the treatment process is significant because it helps ensure that they are satisfied with the modalities that are incorporated into his care (World Health Organization, 2021). Subsequently, the process will ensure that they are familiar with the treatment process, which aids in guaranteeing adequate continuity of care after the patient is discharged. The result is that the patient will be satisfied with the care that he will be received because the possibility of his being re-hospitalized gain after being discharged is minimal. Collaboration with stakeholders will also be fundamental in the care of the patient. The stakeholders will play a vital role in putting in place policies that enhance the quality of care that the patients receive (Pacifico Silva et al., 20180. For example, the stakeholders can outline the protocols that multidisciplinary teams should use while caring for patients to ensure that they perform their roles diligently through elements such as adequate communication and effective sharing of healthcare information.

Barriers to Using my Theory in Practice

Although my theory contains well-defined concepts that can be applied effectively in the clinical setting, some barriers may hinder its application in practice. Some of the obstacles that may interfere with using my theory in the clinical setting include lack of adequate training that causes the healthcare professionals to lack the expertise needed to create effective collaborations in the healthcare setting. For example, healthcare providers should have sufficient communication skills to facilitate adequate engagement amongst the multidisciplinary team tasked with the care of patients (Graffina & Barello, 2018). Subsequently, the professionals should have sufficient competencies to engage patients and their families in the treatment process. The team must listen actively to their medical concerns and show them empathy. Subsequently, they should have the skills to explain eloquently the various approaches that can be used in their treatment and their implications to ensure that patients make informed decisions during the treatment process.

Inadequate interpretations of theories and their significance in the clinical setting are also significant impediments that may prevent effective encapsulation of the theory of the concept into the clinical environment. If a theory and the concepts that define it are not explained well, there is an increased possibility of its failure to be adopted effectively in the treatment process. Subsequently, challenges in relating the theory to the clinical practice may also prevent it from being incorporated effectively into the clinical practice. Sometimes, translating theory into practice is challenging in the clinical setting (Pomare et al., 2020). For example, it may be challenging to determine how some of the collaborative engagements addressed in the theory, such as that between healthcare providers and stakeholders, can be applied in the organization's day-to-day running. This is because the process includes complexities such as determining who the stakeholders in the healthcare systems are and the impact of their engagement in the running of the organizations.

Another significant barrier to adopting the theory is the unavailability of the resources needed to implement the theory and its related concepts (Pomare et al., 2020). Lack of resources interferes with incorporating the theory in the clinical setting by failing to provide the tools needed to promote effective collaborative engagement between healthcare workers, such as mobile devices and paging machines. It causes delays in conveying information, which is detrimental to the treatment process. Subsequently, lack of resources can disrupt effective collaborations between patients and their families and healthcare providers. For example, the lack of the finances needed to acquire the technological tools that can be used in monitoring patients remotely prevent healthcare providers from taking an active role in the care of patients when they leave the hospital (Graffigna & Barello, 2018). Therefore, this aspect increases the chances of patients experiencing adverse outcomes such as aggravation of their medical condition, which may necessitate readmission into healthcare organizations for further management. This element may escalate healthcare costs and cause dissatisfaction among the patients.

Conclusion

Nursing theories are significant elements utilized to determine the critical link between concepts inherent in the clinical setting and their impact on the outcome of care delivery. My theory highlights the interconnectedness of the concept of collaborative engagement between different groups of individuals present in the healthcare systems and the role of this interaction in improving healthcare outcomes. Analysis of the concepts shows significant ways in which they are connected and how this connection can be explored to improve patients' quality of care. Subsequently, nursing research is a necessary process that helps in unearthing the relationship between the identified concepts and how their interrelation impacts the quality of care that patients receive and influence healthcare outcomes. It can be used to find evidence that confirms the actuality of the claims made in the theory and their applicability to the clinical setting. However, there is a high possibility of barriers emerging and hindering the incorporation of the theories in the clinical setting. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the impediments that may disrupt the process of adopting the theory into the setting and identify the techniques that can be used to eliminate them.

References

Graffigna, G., & Barello, S. (2018). Spotlight on the Patient Health Engagement model (PHE model): a psychosocial theory to understand people's meaningful engagement in their own health care. Patient preference and adherence, 12, 1261.

Pacifico Silva, H., Lehoux, P., Miller, F. A., & Denis, J. L. (2018). Introducing responsible innovation in health: a policy-oriented framework. Health research policy and systems, 16(1), 1-13.

Pomare, C., Long, J. C., Churruca, K., Ellis, L. A., & Braithwaite, J. (2020). Interprofessional collaboration in hospitals: a critical, broad-based review of the literature. Journal of interprofessional care, 34(4), 509-519.

Saint-Pierre, C., Herskovic, V., & Sepúlveda, M. (2018). Multidisciplinary collaboration in primary care: a systematic review. Family practice, 35(2), 132-141.

World Health Organization. (2021). Stronger collaboration for an equitable and resilient recovery towards the health-related sustainable development goals: 2021 progress report on the global action plan for healthy lives and well-being for all.