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Throughout the health care industry, everyone is managing the challenge of maintaining a high level of patient care in post-pandemic times. An assessment of the work activities of registered nurses (RNs) in our medical-surgical specialty units at UPMC indicated more time was spent performing indirect care than direct patient care.
The Team-Based Care Model is a reimagined framework for care delivery that encourages a higher level of collaboration and promotes a team culture of proactively asking for and offering help. A team-based approach can enhance patient care efficiency by ensuring clinical staff are able to work at the top of their skill set and licensure. In the new model, our clinical caregivers partner to provide high-quality patient care with the addition of nonclinical task support from the newly created patient and family concierge (PFC) role.
The Team-Based Care Model strengthened how we collaborate as a team to work at the top of each member’s skill set and licensure. Many of our inpatient units that have adopted this collaborative approach are already experiencing positive outcomes. These outcomes include the enablement of clinical staff to spend more time providing direct patient care, improved patient satisfaction through more frequent patient rounding and enhanced patient care outcomes by reducing the nonclinical workload for RNs, LPNs (Licensed Practical Nurses), NAs (Nursing Assistants), and PCTs (Patient Care Technicians).
Staff on units using the new model have reported that nonclinical support has made a noticeable difference in keeping unit supplies stocked, patient water pitchers filled and a decrease in the frequency of patient call bells/lights. Patients have reported an increase in their level of satisfaction from seeing care team staff more frequently.
The Team-Based Care Model fosters greater opportunities for LPNs to work alongside RNs, NAs and PCTs to provide high-quality patient care within our inpatient facilities. Nonclinical support is an essential component of the model that enables clinical staff to spend more time providing direct patient care. While the national nursing shortage continues, the Team-Based Care Model supports each member of the team to perform the right work at the right time by the skill set of the right person, which improves the UPMC experience for both patients and staff.
