Quality Improvement Team Meeting
Selection of Team Members
The selection of the appropriate individuals of a quality improvement team is essential to the successful implementation of a proposed improvement effort. In other words, an effective quality improvement team should be comprised of representatives from the patients’ side as well as from all parts of the practice that are linked to the proposed improvement. Based on my quality improvement plan and the responsibilities to be carried out by the team, I will choose six individuals to be part of the interdisciplinary team.
The first member will be the chief ophthalmologist whose role would be that of providing clinical leadership in the team. It is my belief that as a clinical leader, the chief ophthalmologist has the ability to understand not only the clinical implications of the proposed improvement, but also the effect of the improvement on other areas of the system.
The second and third team members will be the Surgical Services Manager and Anesthesiologist who are chosen because of their technical expertise. The fourth member will be the Operating Room Nurse whose major responsibility will be the provision of daily leadership especially in ensuring the collection of the necessary data regarding the implementation of the standardized surgical debriefing checklist.
The fifth member will be the Deputy Assistant Inspector General- Audits and Evaluations (HQ Operations). This individual would be an essential part of the team because he has the power to coordinate with other parts of the organization as well as to perform quality assurance audits that are crucial for this plan.
The last member will be a representative from the patient population. This member is important because he will provide input from the perspective of patients.
Risks Associated with Working with Interdisciplinary Teams
Teamwork is an essential aspect in healthcare provision which is in particular useful in the provision of quality and safe patient care. Despite their importance in the provision of healthcare, interdisciplinary teams face several challenges. To begin with, conflict of roles and poor understanding of the role of each professional is a common risk associated with working in interdisciplinary teams. According to Nancarrow, Booth, Ariss, Smith, Enderby & Roots (2013) and Supper, Catala, Lustman, Chemla, Bourgueil & Letrilliart (2014), some professionals may not understand the role played by the other professionals in the team. Additionally, some responsibilities given to team members may be in conflict with their professional roles. To address this issue, I would ensure that the team members learn about each other’s professions in order to promote collaboration among them. In addition, I would ensure that each team member’s roles are clearly outlined in order to avoid an overlap and conflict of responsibilities.
Moreover, an interdisciplinary team is faced with the challenge of poor communication which leads to lack of collaboration among team members. Evidence from research shows that perceived hierarchy in a team leads to poor communication and collaboration (Supper et al., 2014). To sort out this issue of poor communication and collaboration, I would ensure that the team is taken through a short training on communication. It is through this training that the team members would learn more about sharing the decision making process (Supper et al., 2014).
Lastly, a common risk associated with interdisciplinary teams is the absence of a common goal that is not only measurable, but also clearly stated and shared. As observed by Nancarrow et al. (2013), lack of a clear vision and uncertainty at the strategic level is a common risk faced by interdisciplinary teams. To overcome this issue, I will come up with a SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound) goal that will guide the team. This goal involves the creation of a standardized surgical debriefing checklist.
Matters to be reviewed by the Team before the Meeting
There are several issues that I would like the team to review before the meeting. Firstly, it would be important for the team to review the items included in the standardized surgical debriefing checklist. A review of these items would help in identifying other issues of importance that might have been left out in the checklist.
Secondly, it is important for the team to review the time that would be required to administer the checklist per case. This is crucial in ensuring that the operating room (OR) team does not spend too much time that would interfere with their activities as well as other OR’s schedules.
Thirdly, I would like the team to review the perceived benefits of the checklist on several issues such as job satisfaction, patient safety (safety climate/culture), teamwork, working conditions, cost savings and stress management among OR personnel. It is evident from previous studies that the implementation of surgical checklists has a significant effect on the safety culture of operating theatres and on the other areas mentioned earlier (Hill, Roberts, Alderson & Gale, 2015; Treadwell, Lucas & Tsou, 2014). A review of these benefits will encourage the team to support my improvement plan because they will discover from previous studies that my plan will be quite beneficial to the safety and quality culture of the organization.
Moreover, I would like the team to review the issue regarding the performance of audits on the checklist. Issues such as when and how to perform the audits should be highlighted. It should be noted that audits are crucial tools for monitoring and enhancing quality care since they allow for the training and retraining of the concerned personnel (Hemingway, O’Malley & Silvestri, 2015).
Furthermore, it would be important if the team members reviewed the issue of how the change would be communicated as well as the reporting of safety issues. Communication is an important tool for compliance (Hemingway, O’Malley & Silvestri, 2015).
Finally, it would be important if the team reviewed the issue of implementation taking into account the facilitators and barriers to the implementation process. This would help in finding solutions to the barriers of implementation (Bergs, Lambrechts, Simons, Vlayen, Marneffe, Hellings, Cleemput & Vandijck, 2015; Cullati, Licker, Francis, Degirogi, Bezzola, Courvoisier & Chopard, 2014).
Methods for Getting Buy-In From the Team
For my improvement plan to be successful, I have to find ways of ensuring that the members of the interdisciplinary team are on my side. To ensure their support, I would use two main methods.
One, I will tie my plan to the overall goal of ensuring patient safety and improving working conditions and job satisfaction. Given that patient safety has become a crucial element in the contemporary healthcare setting, my team members would be encouraged to be part of a plan that seeks to address this important concern. Additionally, if I make the team members understand that the implementation of my plan will greatly contribute to improving their working conditions as well as job satisfaction, they will be more inclined towards supporting me.
Two, I will make the team members co-creators of the improvement plan. This method will make them develop a sense of ownership of the plan and, therefore, support the entire process of change.
Agenda for Meeting with the Team
Interdisciplinary Team Meeting
Date of meeting:
Time:
Place of Meeting:
Meeting called by:
Attendees:
Subject: To discuss the use of standardized surgical debriefing checklist after cataract surgery.
Schedule:
- Introductions
- components of the standardized checklist
- responsibilities of each team member
- communication methods and safety reporting
- Implementation of the plan/checklist (when?)
- audits (monitoring and evaluation of the plan)
Question and Answer
Assessing the Effectiveness of the Meeting
To assess whether the meeting was effective, I would seek to answer three major questions:
- Was the objective of the meeting met?
- How much time was taken? (Was the minimum time possible taken?)
- Were the participants satisfied with the way the meeting was carried out? (Did the participants feel that a sensible process was followed?)
References
Bergs, J., Lambrechts, F., Simons, P., Vlayen, Marneffe, W., Hellings,… Vandijck, D. (2015). Barriers and facilitators related to the implementation of surgical safety checklists: A systematic review of the qualitative evidence. BMJ Quality & Safety, 0, 1-11.
Cullati, S., Licker, M. J., Francis, P., Degiorgi, A., Bezzola, P., Courvoisier, D. S., & Chopard, P. (2014). Implementation of the surgical safety checklist in Switzerland and perceptions of its benefits: Cross-sectional survey. PLoS ONE, 9(7), 1-8.
Hemingway, M. W., O’Malley, C., & Silvestri, S. (2015). Safety culture and care: A program to prevent surgical errors 1.8. AORN Journal, 101 (4), 404-415.
Hill, M. R., Roberts, M. J., Alderson, M. L., & Gale, T. C. E. (2015). Safety culture and the 5 steps to safer surgery: An intervention study. British Journal of Anesthesia, 114 (6), 958-962.
Nancarrow, S. A., Booth, A., Ariss, S., Smith, T., Enderby, P., & Roots, A. (2013). Ten principles of good interdisciplinary team work. Human Resources for Health, 11, 1-11.
Supper, I., Catala, O., Lustman, M., Chemla, C., Bourgueil, Y., & Letrilliart, L., (2014). Interprofessional collaboration in primary health care: A review of facilitators and barriers perceived by involved actors. Journal of Public Health, 37 (4), 716-727.
Treadwell, J. R., Lucas, S., & Tsou, A. Y. (2014). Surgical checklists: A systematic review of impacts and implementation. BMJ Quality & Safety, 23, 299-318.
