Reference no: EM131637918

INITIAL CASE SCENARIO:

You are a Family Nurse Practitioner working in an outpatient primary care office of a large hospital system. The practice has been operating for over 15 years, and many of the administrative and clinical staff were hired when the practice opened. You have been in the practice for less than 3 months. In that short amount of time, you have witnessed several of the clinical staff have heated arguments with each other, sometimes in patient areas. Today, one of the back office assistants didn't come to work. Unfortunately, this pattern of behavior is not unusual in this practice. Your clinical schedule is especially busy. Working without appropriate office staff will negatively influence your ability to spend time with patients, impede the flow of patients through the office, and could impact patient safety.

Leadership is not random. It is multifaceted and must be communicated as a stated plan to effect a change. Organizational leaders provide a vision and move others toward a common goal.

QUESTION TO ANSWER:

According to Buppert (2011), quality improvement and patient safety are inextricably intertwined. A work environ­ment that sup­ports teamwork and respect for other people is essential to promote patient safety and quality of care. Unprofessional behavior is disruptive and adversely impacts patient and staff satisfaction, the recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals, communication, teamwork and undermines a culture of safety. Unprofessional behavior is therefore unacceptable.

Discussion Question:

How does teamwork increase patient safety? Provide evidence and rationales to support your decisions.