Capella 4005 Assessment 4

Name

Capella university

NURS-FPX4005 Nursing Leadership: Focusing on People, Processes, and Organizations

Prof. Name

Date

Stakeholder Presentation

Introduction

(Slide 1) Greetings, and thank you for joining this important presentation focused on improving communication and alleviating burnout in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Hackensack Meridian Health. This session will introduce a data-driven, interdisciplinary strategy designed to enhance patient safety, staff morale, and care collaboration. The primary stakeholders in this initiative include nurses, neonatologists, administrative personnel, and staffing coordinators. Their involvement is critical to ensuring successful implementation and sustainability of the proposed measures.

Presentation Overview

(Slide 2) This presentation outlines key challenges in the NICU stemming from poor communication and inadequate staffing, which negatively affect neonatal outcomes. We propose a solution rooted in evidence-based practices, including an implementation strategy, management of personnel and financial resources, and measurable success indicators. The plan revolves around three key pillars: enhancing care delivery, promoting staff collaboration, and aligning all efforts with improved neonatal health outcomes.

Organizational Issue

(Slide 3) In high-acuity NICU settings, clear communication and strategic staffing are essential. Currently, fragmented information exchanges and irregular documentation lead to delayed interventions and heightened stress among staff, fostering burnout and clinical mistakes. Bell et al. (2023) emphasize that fragmented care delivery escalates psychological strain and lowers clinical accuracy. Carletto et al. (2022) noted that nearly half of NICU providers suffer from moral distress, with nurses being the most affected. Enhancing collaboration through interprofessional initiatives, structured protocols, leadership engagement, and integrated technologies can reduce errors and cultivate a psychologically safe working environment.

Consequences of Inaction

(Slide 4) Ignoring these systemic issues results in low team morale, rising healthcare expenditures, and staff attrition. Studies report that nearly 23% of NICU workers show symptoms of PTSD, and 28% report burnout—most notably among nurses (Ravaldi et al., 2023). Moreover, communication failures contribute to parental dissatisfaction and family stress (Guttmann et al., 2024). A team-based strategy is not just recommended but essential to ensuring operational resilience and compassionate care delivery.

Relevance of an Interdisciplinary Team Approach

(Slide 5) Addressing NICU-specific challenges necessitates collaborative teamwork across various disciplines. Nurses, neonatologists, case managers, and administrators must function as a unit to meet the multifaceted needs of neonates. SBAR protocols and structured team rounds are instrumental in reducing miscommunication and enhancing shared decision-making. As Sharma and Friede (2023) argue, interdisciplinary synergy results in reduced adverse incidents, improved team satisfaction, and better patient outcomes. The approach cultivates psychological safety and shared responsibility, vital for long-term improvements.

Interdisciplinary Plan Summary

(Slide 6) Using the PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act) framework, this initiative promotes a continuous quality improvement model tailored for NICU operations.

PDSA Phase	Description
Plan	Launch TeamSTEPPS training to enhance leadership, communication, and collaboration. Integrate SBAR for standardized handoffs. Initiate daily team huddles and secure EHR messaging tools. Encourage psychological safety.
Do	Implement a two-month pilot in the NICU. Deploy daily interdisciplinary meetings, enable secure EHR communications, and provide staff training on emotional safety.
Study	Track data on handoff delays and communication issues. Measure burnout using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and monitor parental satisfaction and team performance.
Act	Refine the program based on outcomes. Address challenges with targeted education and revise protocols for long-term adoption.

Supporting Evidence for the Plan

(Slide 7) The initiative draws from validated research and official recommendations. AHRQ’s support for TeamSTEPPS demonstrates its effectiveness in enhancing team cohesion and minimizing mistakes (Aurele et al., 2023). SBAR handoffs, as noted by Ghosh et al. (2021), significantly improve communication accuracy. Additionally, EHR-integrated communication fosters real-time coordination, and peer support structures enhance psychological resilience in high-stress environments (Vos et al., 2020; Carletto et al., 2022).

Implementation and Resource Management

(Slide 8) To improve care coordination, the NICU will modify schedules to include 15-minute daily huddles, a change requiring minimal financial investment (Brickson et al., 2024). EPIC’s communication tools will be optimized, and staff will receive brief instructional sessions. Leadership will ensure accountability by regularly reviewing performance and addressing ambiguity, which if unchecked, could lead to costly staff turnover (Fu et al., 2023).

(Slide 9) Strategic human resource allocation involves hiring additional full-time staff or extending float pool coverage, reducing the reliance on costly agency nurses. Financial investments for EPIC optimization and staff training are projected between \$10,000–\$15,000. Incorporating huddles into current shifts avoids the need for extra meeting funds. These proactive measures will ultimately lower turnover costs and reinforce organizational stability (Fu et al., 2023).

Evaluation

(Slide 10) The effectiveness of this interdisciplinary plan will be assessed through quantifiable benchmarks. Our targets include achieving 95% accuracy in patient handoffs (Ghosh et al., 2021), reducing burnout to below 20% using the MBI and Moral Distress Scale-Revised, and ensuring 80% or higher satisfaction from families using the QOC scale (Guttmann et al., 2024). These metrics offer an evidence-based approach to measuring progress in staff well-being, team function, and family engagement.

Conclusion

(Slide 11) This proposal offers a thorough plan to address communication inefficiencies and burnout in the NICU at Hackensack Meridian Health. We highlighted key issues and applied targeted, evidence-based interventions such as TeamSTEPPS training, SBAR use, daily huddles, and EHR enhancements. These tools align with stakeholder goals by ensuring sustainable, cost-effective, and high-impact improvements. Your leadership and support will be crucial to embedding a culture of excellence in neonatal care.

(Slide 12) Thank you for your attention and commitment. I welcome any questions you may have.

References

Aurele, K. M., Branche, T., Adams, A., Feister, J., Boyle, K., & Scala, M. (2023). Recommendations for creating a collaborative NICU environment to support teamwork and trainee education. Journal of Perinatology, 43(12), 1520–1525. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-023-01756-8

Bell, E. A., Rufrano, G. A., Traylor, A., Ohning, B. L., & Salas, E. (2023). Enhancing team success in the neonatal intensive care unit: Challenges and opportunities for fluid teams. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1284606

Capella 4005 Assessment 4

Carletto, S., Cavallero, C., Tenore, K., Lo Dico, L., Fetta, A., & Ostacoli, L. (2022). Moral distress, burnout, and resilience among neonatal intensive care unit healthcare professionals: A cross-sectional study. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 62, e40–e46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2021.10.018

Fu, J., et al. (2023). [Full citation pending]

Ghosh, S., Lerman, L., Ramachandran, P., & Kirk, J. (2021). Effectiveness of a standardized handoff tool in the NICU. BMJ Open Quality, 10(2), e001176. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjoq-2021-001176

Guttmann, K., et al. (2024). [Full citation pending]

Ravaldi, C., Vannacci, A., Ricca, V., & Cerretini, G. (2023). Post-traumatic stress and burnout in NICU staff: A survey-based study. Early Human Development, 177, 105678. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2023.105678

Sharma, M., & Friede, B. (2023). Interprofessional collaboration in NICUs: A scoping review. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 37(2), 265–272. https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820.2022.2146307

Capella 4005 Assessment 4

Vos, J., Franklin, B. D., Chumbley, G. M., & Ashcroft, D. M. (2020). The role of EHR-integrated communication tools in improving interdisciplinary collaboration. BMJ Health & Care Informatics, 27(1), e100105. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjhci-2020-100105