Exploring the Role of Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Improving Patient Outcomes in Intensive Care Nursing

Posted: Feb 12, 2023

• Reagan Bryant
• Miles Donovan
• Juliette Harrington

Abstract

This research investigates the transformative potential of interdisciplinary collaboration in intensive care nursing, proposing a novel framework that integrates computational social network analysis with clinical workflow optimization. Traditional approaches to improving patient outcomes in intensive care units have primarily focused on medical interventions and nursing protocols, often overlooking the complex social dynamics and information flow patterns that characterize interdisciplinary teamwork. Our study introduces an innovative methodology that combines quantitative social network mapping with qualitative ethnographic observation to model collaboration patterns across medical, nursing, pharmacological, and rehabilitation disciplines. We developed a unique computational model that analyzes communication frequency, information accuracy, decision-making latency, and resource coordination efficiency across 12 intensive care units over an 18-month period. The findings reveal previously undocumented patterns of interdisciplinary interaction that significantly correlate with patient outcomes, including reduced length of stay, decreased medication errors, and improved weaning success from mechanical ventilation. Our approach represents a paradigm shift from individual competency assessment to system-level collaboration analysis, providing healthcare institutions with actionable insights for optimizing team composition, communication protocols, and decision-making structures. The research demonstrates that strategic intervention in interdisciplinary collaboration patterns can yield improvements in patient outcomes comparable to technological or pharmacological advances, offering a cost-effective and sustainable approach to enhancing intensive care quality.