Development of Integrated Nursing Care Models to Strengthen Multidisciplinary Collaboration and Patient Wellbeing

• Harish Jaiswal

  Author

• Venu Anand Das Vaishnav

  Author

The advancement of technology and the delivery of healthcare systems require a paradigm shift away from a more fragmented and hierarchical delivery model to an integrated model with the patient at the centre of the services provided. This paper discusses the significant steps and processes involved in developing and testing an integrated model of nursing care, designed to enhance collaborative, multidisciplinary nursing care and improve care outcomes. Integrating literature sources, conducting interviews with stakeholders, and pilot testing nursing care, as well as developing quantitative modeling, were all necessary within a single overall framework to achieve the research focus. Therefore, a mixed-methods approach was employed. Professional integration and team effectiveness in relation to patient outcomes were measured using the Integration Index, the Collaboration Effectiveness Score, and the Patient Wellbeing Outcome. The pilot testing validation indicated a significant improvement in treatment and coordination within the nursing care models, accompanied by an increase in patient satisfaction and treatment adherence. The addition of the Sustainability of Care Index and Relative Improvement Ratio validated these frameworks, demonstrating their ability to sustain improvement over time. Developing more integrated models results in reduced fragmentation of care, lower resource utilization, and improved patient outcomes. This study demonstrates how engaging nurses as multidisciplinary team leaders offers long-term potential to improve the quality and equity of health care.

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