NUBE 2024

Interdisciplinary collaboration can be a complex process that requires time, patience, and understanding of the different points of view and training of each discipline. People working within healthcare often share core values but are often trained in isolation from the other disciplines. Professional silos can occur as each discipline focuses on what they can offer in terms of patient care and staff supports but a strong adherence to “staying in our lane” can also hinder opportunities for shared teaching, case conceptualization, interdisciplinary team responses in crisis. Solid interdisciplinary teamwork is even more challenging when members of the team change frequently, such as who responds to a crisis, staff covering the shift, or rotating attending physicians.

A panel of Directors in safety and security, nursing, and psychiatry and nurse management will describe their collaborative leadership process when navigating serious and complex issues relating to patient and staff safety for inpatient psychiatry and emergency medicine. As a tertiary level hospital in a primarily rural state, complexity of patient needs, recruiting trained staff in a time of extensive staff shortages, and identification of resources are consistent challenges. The team will describe a crisis stabilization unit (CSU) that was developed as a way to meet the needs for patients diagnosed with psychiatric illnesses who experience long waits in the emergency, require increased resources and support, and historically not receiving mental health treatment while they wait for a bed. The presentation will describe the development of two unique staff positions within nursing and safety and security and the successful integration of these staff members on inpatient psychiatry and emergency medicine. Research on interdisciplinary teams in healthcare and use of simulation-based training (e.g., Engum & Jefferies, 2012; Saragih, et al., 2024) provided guidance for development and expansion of training for frontline staff in safety and security and nursing who are responsible for crisis responses and prevention of dangerous behavioral episodes. Discussion will review of challenges, barriers, and the concept of transdisciplinary teams to meet complex patient needs and staff safety.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will understand strategies to support interdisciplinary leadership collaboration for cross training emergency response teams.

Participants will learn about the development of unique staff positions to address staffing shortages and complex patient needs.

Participants will understand the difference between an interdisciplinary and a transdisciplinary process as it relates to developing skilled core response teams.