Value Based Care
Q.1
Health is defined as a state where one achieves full physical, social and mental well-being. Although different forms of infirmity and diseases can affect a person’s well-being, their absence is in no way a definition of health. Understanding what good health and well being entails is beneficial as it helps nurses and other caregivers to better treat patients and help them manage their condition (Putera, 2017). With the emergence of chronic ailments that affect the ageing population, there has been a shift in how caregivers approach treatment as attention is focused more on managing medical conditions as well as treating them.
To help meet the needs of the new healthcare objectives, the value-based healthcare approach was introduced to try and offer better care and improve patient experience. The approach focuses on improving the value of care where value comprises of the expected health outcomes from the patient in relation to the cost charged for the care offered (Putera, 2017). Through value-based care, caregivers are able to assess all activities involved in the cycle of care. Since the process requires input from both patients and caregivers, value-based care is able to strengthen primary care, assist in development of integrated healthcare systems and the establishment of payment schemes that reduce the occurrence of hazards and in so doing, increase the value of care.
Since the goal for value-based healthcare is to improve the quality of care offered, it is likely to bring about changes in the role that nurses play in health institutions. This is especially because the value-based approach focuses on more than just treating patients and prescribing medication (Hensel, 2018). The approach will have great ramifications especially in helping patients with chronic diseases manage their conditions. A shift is likely to occur where nurses will focus more on keeping patients away from hospital as much as possible. With value-based healthcare, nurses will bear the responsibility of assisting patients manage their conditions even at home (Hensel, 2018). This means maintaining communication with patients even after being discharged from hospital. Value will therefore be assessed on how well nurses assist patients without having them visit medical institutions.
Emerging trends suggest that technology will play a major role in ensuring that value-based healthcare has the desired impact in improving the quality of care. As such, nurses will be required to learn new skills and also practices that help them to effectively use the technology used to reach patients (Hensel, 2018). New approaches are required especially because nurses train on how to offer care to patients who visit medical institutions. With value-based care, nurses will require training to ensure that they can use the technology needed to effectively assist patients both at the hospital and in their homes.
Q.2
Attempts to improve the quality of care offered have led to the emergence of interprofessional collaboration where health providers team up with clients in participatory collaborative approaches that seek to share the burden of decision making that is experienced in health and other aspects of society. It is a system that incorporates the use of decision making and effective communication as a way to allow synergistic influence of skills and the collective knowledge of individuals in a group (Brashers et al, 2020). it operates on various elements such as accountability, communication, assertiveness, autonomy and mutual respect which are passed on to the members making up the collaborative teams. Through the collaborative interactions, professionals in the medical field work in a diverse environment as they share different cultural traits and are able to share skills and knowledge that help improve the quality of care.
Interprofessional relationships can be used to promote collaboration within an organization and the quality of care especially because they make it easier to understand the objectives set for care givers. Through it, caregivers are able to brainstorm on ideas as a team and this lessens the burden as professionals work together and learn from one another (Brashers et al, 2020). Caregivers are able to share the knowledge they possess, develop a better understanding of each other’s values and in so doing, create an environment that is focussed purely on offering the best quality of care.
Interprofessional education collaboratives can be formed when two professionals decide to work on health issues together. In order to enhance their efficiency, experimental training programs can be used to help adjust to some of the changes that may come about as a result (Brashers et al, 2020). Training programs that use simulations for instance can promote interprofessional teamwork by creating an environment that facilitates cooperation without the risk of actually harming the patient. The interprofessional education collaboratives are important in that they help individuals grow in various aspects including;
- Values/Ethics
When professionals from different professions work together towards a common goal, an ideal working environment is created where caregivers respect each other’s shared values and in so doing, improve the quality of care.
- Roles/Responsibilities
The relationship also allows one to identify their own role and role played by others in an organization. In such a setting, caregivers are likely to have a better understanding of their work and the contribution from others and this promotes responsibility and accountability (IPEC, 2016).
- Interpersonal communication
Other than interacting with patients, the relationship established through IPEC’s promotes interaction between colleagues. The relationships-built help one to gain more insight in medicine as well as the approaches to take when preventing diseases, treating patients and also helping them manage their conditions.
- Teams and teamwork
Since the approach relies on each caregiver’s input, participation promotes teamwork as caregivers share ideas and weigh in on decisions that greatly promote the delivery of quality medical care.
References
Brashers V, Haizlip J, Owen JA. (2020) The ASPIRE Model: Grounding the IPEC core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice within a foundational framework. J Interprof Care. doi:10.1080/13561820.2019.1624513
Hensel C, (2018) “How nursing will evolve under value based care” MedCity News, retrieved from, https://medcitynews.com/2018/03/nursing-will-evolve-value-based- care/?rf=1
Interprofessional Education Collaborative. (2016). Core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice: 2016 update. Washington, DC: Interprofessional Education Collaborative. Retrieved from, https://health.tamu.edu/iper/research/ipec-2016-core- competencies.pdf
Putera I. (2017). Redefining Health: Implication for Value-Based Healthcare Reform. Cureus, 9(3), e1067. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.1067
