Transdisciplinary practice among allied health and nursing in a co-located stroke unit -A pilot study design

Abstract

Background: Public health resourcing is limited and there is need to find alternative models to deliver high quality patient care3. Stroke unit care requires access to a multidisciplinary team1. Many acute stroke units operate on a blanket referral process to access allied health. Of patients admitted to a single acute stroke unit 42% of patients discharged did not have a confirmed diagnosis of stroke. Therefore, Allied Health Professionals (AHP) dedicated resources to a number of unnecessary assessments. Aims: To investigate the efficiency and effectiveness of a transdisciplinary model of allied health and nursing practice in a single acute stroke unit. Methods: A detailed service and task analysis will be under taken in focus groups. This will identify specific tasks and or skills that can be safely shared amongst AHP and nursing staff by utilization of the Calderdale Framework2 to facilitate development and implementation of a transdisciplinary model of care in acute stroke. Evaluation: Analysis will be undertaken pre and post implementation of the transdisciplinary model. Data collected will measure demand & efficiency through analysis of total number of AHP referrals, type of AHP conducting assessments and time from referral to AHP screen and intervention. Cost analysis will be calculated by analyzing AHP cost per weighted activity unit (WAU). Clinician and stakeholder satisfaction will be assessed to determine effectiveness of the model. Discussion: The Calderdale Framework supports teams to make contextualised decisions about skill sharing, promoting an effective and efficient transdisciplinary model of care.L617955169 <br />