Discussion: Interprofessional Teams

Tina Garcia is an 88-year-old, Spanish-speaking, Mexican immigrant. She lives in the Midwest with her husband, who also only speaks Spanish, on a farm on the outskirts of a small town comprised mostly of migrant farm workers. The downtown area has a grocery store, a gas station, and a small Mexican restaurant.

Two days ago, Tina’s husband arrived by taxi to the hospital to pick her up. She was being discharged after a 10-day stay. Her primary diagnosis was “bacterial pneumonia.” She has a secondary diagnosis of “osteoarthritis,” and she ambulates using a walker. During the hospital discharge process, the respiratory therapist, along with a language interpreter, ensured that Tina could adequately breathe on room air and her oxygen levels were normal with her usual activity. The nurse ensured that the correct oral antibiotics and inhaler prescriptions were issued. Tina would receive a follow-up appointment with her primary doctor, and her husband was instructed to schedule that appointment for one week after discharge. A referral for home healthcare services was made.

Once Tina arrived home, her prescriptions were never filled, and she ate very little. Today, when the home care nurse arrives at the farm home, Tina is in bed with labored breathing. The nurse notices that Tina’s husband is acting disordered. He appears confused and is exhibiting signs of early dementia. Clearly, the husband is incapable of assisting Tina with even the most basic tasks for daily living.

Can you think of two additional professionals who may have made Mrs. Garcia’s discharge more successful and improved her care at home, and who should be on her interprofessional healthcare team?

This week, you’ve examined the rationale, form, and function of an interprofessional team in providing healthcare. As you’ve seen, members of an interprofessional team may come from a variety of professional backgrounds, depending on the needs of the patient, the setting in which care is provided, and the resources available.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review the Learning Resources, especially those dealing with interprofessional teams in medical care.
• Review the Tina Garcia case study in the Discussion lead-in.
• Consider what could have been done differently to change the outcomes for Tina and her husband.

BY DAY 4

Post a comprehensive response to the following:

• Name two additional types of healthcare professionals that could have been involved in Tina Garcia’s case.
• Provide a rationale as to why they should have been included.
• In your own words, explain why each professional is important to an interprofessional team and what you believe each person would contribute.
• Support your response with the Learning Resources and other scholarly readings. Your Discussion post should follow APA guidelines and have proper formatting.