title: Transdisciplinary care in the emergency department: A qualitative analysis.
abstract: In response to increasing demands some emergency departments have introduced transdisciplinary care coordination teams. Such teams comprise staff from multiple disciplines who are trained to perform roles outside their usual scope of practice. This study aimed to critically evaluate the patient, carer and ED staff perceptions of the transdisciplinary model of care in an emergency department in a Melbourne metropolitan hospital. The evaluation of the transdisciplinary team involved interviews with patients and carers who have received the transdisciplinary team services, and focus groups with emergency nursing and transdisciplinary team staff. Analysis of the data revealed that the transdisciplinary model provided an essential service, where staff members were capable of delivering care across all disciplines. The ability to perform comprehensive patient assessments ensured safe discharge, with follow-up services in place. The existence of this team was seen to free up time for the emergency nursing staff, enabling them to see other patients, and improving department efficiency while providing quality care and increasing staff satisfaction. This study identified several important factors which contributed to the success of the transdisciplinary team, which was well integrated into the larger emergency department team.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing & Midwifery, Monash University, Peninsula Campus, McMahons Road, Frankston, Victoria 3199, Australia.
authors.forename: Kelli
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Innes
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing & Midwifery, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
authors.forename: Kimberley
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing & Midwifery, Monash University, Peninsula Campus, McMahons Road, Frankston, Victoria 3199, Australia.
authors.forename: Tamsin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Peninsula Health, 2 Hastings Road, Frankston, Victoria 3199, Australia.
authors.forename: Renee
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Blight
authors.affiliation: Peninsula Health, 2 Hastings Road, Frankston, Victoria 3199, Australia.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Trenham
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing & Midwifery, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing & Midwifery, Monash University, Peninsula Campus, McMahons Road, Frankston, Victoria 3199, Australia.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Griffiths
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing & Midwifery, Monash University, Peninsula Campus, McMahons Road, Frankston, Victoria 3199, Australia. Electronic address: julia.morphet@monash.edu.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morphet
mesh_terms: D016529:Emergency Nursing; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D000072087:Occupational Therapists; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D059825:Physical Therapists; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D000078329:Workforce
keywords: Discharge; Emergency department; Emergency nursing; Patient satisfaction; Qualitative evaluation; Transdisciplinary care