Description
Collaboration in Pediatric Primary Healthcare
During my pediatric clinical rotation, I have had the chance to observe and participate in various collaborations between healthcare professionals. On one occasion, I had the opportunity to observe a primary care physician, a nurse practitioner, and a nurse collaborating to treat a 9-year-old male patient who was having seizure at clinic. The physician was the lead provider, but the nurse practitioner and nurse worked together to ensure the patient received the best care possible. The healthcare team determined the best course of action for the patient, which included ordering the appropriate tests and treatments. The nurse practitioner and nurse coordinated with the laboratory and other specialists to ensure the patient received the best care. The collaboration between the healthcare professionals resulted in improved patient outcomes, as the patient could recover faster and with fewer complications. Overall, the collaboration between the healthcare professionals was successful, and it was a great example of how working together can lead to better patient outcomes.
I have observed several barriers to collaboration in pediatric primary healthcare, including more communication between providers, limited resources, and cultural and language differences. Communication between providers can lead to complete patient care, while limited resources can restrict access to care. Additionally, cultural and language differences can create misunderstandings and reduce patient-provider trust. These barriers can significantly impede collaboration in pediatric primary healthcare, leading to suboptimal care delivery.
Effective collaboration is essential in providing quality healthcare because it allows healthcare professionals to work together in a coordinated manner to provide the best care possible. Working together, they can exchange knowledge, go over available treatments, and create care plans that are specific to each patient’s need (Alderwick et al., 2021). In addition, collaboration allows healthcare providers to identify gaps in care, develop strategies to fill those gaps and ensure that all patients receive the highest quality care.
Furthermore, collaboration can ensure that healthcare services are provided promptly and that the patient’s expectations are met. Through collaboration, healthcare teams can create a plan of care that allows for timely access to care, appropriate follow-up, and a positive outcome (Busari et al., 2017). This can help reduce patient stress, improve patient satisfaction, and improve overall outcomes.
Also, collaboration is essential to ensure that healthcare providers are up-to-date with the latest evidence-based practices. This helps ensure that healthcare providers provide their patients with the highest quality care (Marston et al., 2020). By working collaboratively, healthcare providers can stay informed of the latest advances in their field and be better equipped to provide quality patient care.
References
Alderwick, H., Hutchings, A., Briggs, A., & Mays, N. (2021). The impacts of collaboration between local health care and non-health care organizations and factors shaping how they work: A systematic review of reviews. BMC Public Health, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10630-1
Busari, J., Moll, F., & Duits, A. (2017). Understanding the impact of interprofessional collaboration on the quality of care: A case report from a small-scale resource-limited health care environment. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, Volume 10, 227–234. https://doi.org/10.2147/jmdh.s140042
Marston, C. A., Matthews, R., Renedo, A., & Reed, J. E. (2020). Working together to co-produce Better Health: The Experience of the collaboration for leadership in Applied Health Research and care for northwest London. Journal of Health Services Research & Policy, 26(1), 28–36. https://doi.org/10.1177/1355819620928368
