NURS FPX 4005 Assessment 2: Interview Summary
Bridget is employed at Mercy General Hospital (MGH) in Columbus, Ohio, as a nurse. She began working there more than six years ago, and she is currently employed in the medical-surgical unit as a charge nurse. Her duties at Mercy General Hospital include overseeing patient care, helping nurses at the patient’s bedside, negotiating with hospital personnel, and making sure patients are given appropriate discharge plans, which is a key focus of NURS FPX 4005 Assessment 2.
Bridget mentioned in the interview that poor handover communication amongst nurses who switched from night to day shifts was a persistent issue at the medical center, highlighting an interview and interdisciplinary issue. She clarified that poor communication frequently resulted in missed important information (such delayed test results or prescription modifications), insufficient patient updates, and eventually, delays in patient care. Because there were no active monitoring mechanisms, leadership’s implementation of the standardized handoff tools known as SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) did not result in consistent utilization.
Additionally, she stated that although the organization promotes interdisciplinary collaboration in theory, this support is not always constant in actual practice. Although interdisciplinary rounding takes place at our facility, Bridget noted in the interdisciplinary healthcare interview that she has seen serious communication breakdowns during shift handovers. Strong leadership, which keeps team members accountable and promotes open inter-team communication, is responsible for the successful work of diverse teams, which is a key focus of NURS FPX 4005 Assessment 2.
A semi-structured interview format with pre-planned open-ended questions and flexibility to follow up on topics that came up during the talk was part of the collection process. Although this method offers flexibility and dependability, medical facilities can use it in a collaborative healthcare team interview to obtain real and comprehensive healthcare information. Semi-structured interviews are used in healthcare assessments because they allow participants to give detailed answers without straying from the main objectives of the interview (Altabtabaei & Alhuwail, 2023).
Issue Identification
The primary issue identified in this interview is inadequate communication during patient handovers at Mercy General Hospital, representing a clear case of problem identification in patient care. For the problem, an interdisciplinary care delivery approach based on evidence would be ideal. The reason for this is that a variety of healthcare specialties, including nurses, doctors, case managers, and allied health professionals, depend on successful handoffs and need accurate and timely patient data to coordinate care (Nuernberger et al., 2025). Standardized handoff tools, such as SBAR and I-PASS, have been shown in numerous studies to reduce adverse events and enhance patient safety (Nuernberger et al., 2025). When several team members create and implement handoff protocols, it fosters teamwork and guarantees that vital patient data is distributed throughout all shifts, contributing to the objectives of NURS FPX 4005 assessment 2.
Change Theories That Could Lead to an Interdisciplinary Solution
The phases of unfreezing, altering, and refreezing make up Lewin’s Change Management Model, which is a suitable framework for enhancing patient handoff communication (Harrison et al., 2021). Presentations of past instances at meetings such as the one chaired by a charge nurse
help staff members understand the healthcare risks and resource waste that arise from poor handoff communication. In order for nurses, doctors, and case managers to collaborate on practicing this organized handoff technique through simulation exercises, the transition phase requires an interdisciplinary team to apply SBAR or I-PASS standard handoff regulations through training and pilot projects, highlighting the identification of the interdisciplinary solutions.
Thirdly, the new methods of communication are incorporated into everyday routines by means of policies and frequent audits, which turn them into standard operating procedures, highlighting the importance of interview strategies in nursing practice. With SBAR checklists incorporated into electronic health records (EHR), leaders can begin conducting Jackie audits to determine adherence on a monthly basis. The primary model used to address this problem is the one developed by Lewin because this model demonstrates that the staff members will need comprehensive change preparation and transformational leadership that would lead to the reinforcement of new behaviors to improve handoffs amongst the different areas of medical expertise. The study by Harrison et al. (2021) supports the application of Lewin’s Model in hospital change management because it emphasizes its frequent application and efficacy in comparable contexts, as well as the requirement for thorough staff preparation and improved leadership, which is a key consideration in NURS FPX 4005 assessment 2.
Leadership Strategies That Could Lead to an Interdisciplinary Solution
The combination of transformational leadership and the Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) paradigm constitute an effective solution to establishing a framework that can lead to improving interpersonal communication when transferring patients (Kuriyan et al., 2020). Common goals are adopted by teams in terms
of overall patient safety with enhanced handoff communication when there is motivational leadership. While allowing for interdisciplinary contributions and encouraging acknowledgment for better handoff quality, the leader should establish particular handoff communication procedures, emphasizing the role of interdisciplinary team.
The interdisciplinary teams would be provided with standardized processes using the paradigm of TeamSTEPPS 12 and the strategies of communications improvement and collaboration by introducing briefs, huddles, and debriefs. A launch workshop is led by a transformational leader and involves practice for nurses, doctors, and case managers using structured team meetings and standardized handoff checklists, supporting the process of identifying healthcare issues through interviews. High relevance is demonstrated by TeamSTEPPS® by directly solving optimal handoff disconnects by addressing speech activation, accountability mechanisms, and communication gaps (Kuriyan et al., 2020).
Collaboration Approaches for Interdisciplinary Teams
SBAR (Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation) and IPEC Core Competencies for Interdisciplinary Collaborative Practice are two well-established techniques used in the healthcare industry to enhance the interprofessional transmission of patient information. Medical personnel can regularly share vital patient data using the SBAR approach, which aids teams in preventing thoughtless information transmission errors. To create consistent patient handoff information, the interdisciplinary team uses a standardized communication tool called SBAR (Nuernberger et al., 2025). Setting up scheduled interdisciplinary discussions at the beginning and end of shifts allows teams to share real-time information. Establishing a communication loop inside the team where members exchange and confirm critical information
helps to avoid errors and guarantee correct comprehension, a focus of NURS FPX 4005 assessment 2.
During crucial patient transfer procedures, the defined methodologies foster mutual responsibility, teamwork, and a clear understanding. The application of the SBAR model results in the acceptance of patient safety procedures, the development of team communication, and the comfort of healthcare personnel in managing patient responsibility (Nuernberger et al., 2025). Through role comprehension and effective interprofessional communication, medical teams that implement IPEC Core Competencies foster respect for one another (Ansa et al., 2020). Considering the technology facilitates group communication, all team members can determine their next action duties during handoff meetings after IPEC competence implementation, promoting nursing interdisciplinary team collaboration. Although SBAR’s organized communication framework offers a straightforward answer to handoff issues, MGH acknowledges it as the most successful solution.
Conclusion
To improve patient handoff communication at MGH, the hospital has to implement a methodical, multidisciplinary approach. When Lewin’s Model is combined with transformational leadership techniques and team communication tools like SBAR and TeamSTEPPS®, responsibility is increased and consistency and teamwork are brought about. Successful care transition outcomes can be achieved through interdisciplinary teamwork using SBAR competences. In this way, the methods enhance the delivery of quality-of-care and pursue patient safety because this is one of the major concern areas of NURS FPX 4005 assessment 2.
References
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Harrison, R., Fischer, S., Walpola, R. L., Chauhan, A., Babalola, T., Mears, S., & Le-Dao, H. (2021). Where do models for change management, improvement, and implementation meet? A systematic review of the applications of change management models in healthcare. Journal of Healthcare Leadership, 13(2), 85–108. https://doi.org/10.2147/JHL.S289176
Kuriyan, A., Kinkler, G., Cidav, Z., Kang-Yi, C., Eiraldi, R., Salas, E., & Wolk, C. B. (2020). TeamSTEPPS to improve collaboration in school mental health: Protocol for a mixed- method hybrid effectiveness-implementation study. JMIR Research Protocols, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.2196/26567
Nuernberger, M., Lang, S., Maass, T., Lehmann, T., Brodoehl, S., & Jan-Christoph Lewejohann. (2025). The effects of an ISOBAR-structured patient handover conversation between rescue services and emergency department staff: The COPTER trial. Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open, 6(1), 100011–100011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acepjo.2024.100011
