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Assessment 01
Collaboration and Leadership Reflection Video
For this assessment you will use Kaltura to create a 5–10 minute video reflection that addresses
either an interprofessional collaboration you experienced or the case study on interprofessional
collaboration presented below.
If you choose to reflect on the interprofessional case study presented below, imagine that you
are a nurse on the team and you have been assigned to talk to members of the team prior to
making the video reflection that you will share with the team and leadership where you will make
recommendations to improve interprofessional collaboration.
After you have thoroughly reviewed the case study below, return to the detailed instructions in
the courseroom to complete your assessment. Feel free to refer back to this case study as you
complete your assessment.
Case Study:
Interprofessional Collaboration for Health Promotion
and Disease Prevention in a Community Health Center
Health promotion and disease prevention are essential components of primary care that require
a coordinated and collaborative approach from healthcare professionals. Interprofessional
collaboration is essential to ensure that patients receive comprehensive and coordinated care
that addresses the social determinants of health and promotes health equity. This case study
explores the interprofessional collaboration experience for health promotion and disease
prevention in a community health center.
The community health center in this case study serves a diverse population of patients with a
range of health needs. The interprofessional team includes public health officials, nurses,
physicians, community health workers, and social workers who work together to develop and
implement health promotion programs. The team provides ongoing care to patients, including
health education, screening, and referrals to community resources.
The following are the responses when you asked each provider where the team could improve
its interprofessional collaboration.
DR. SAMUEL ORTIZ, Public Health Official. Dr. Ortiz coordinates public health initiatives and
liaises between the community health center and external health agencies. He offers guidance
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on public health advisories, manages disease prevention programs, and ensures the health
center’s protocols align with broader public health strategies.
“I’m so glad you’re looking into what we can do to work together more efficiently and
offer our patients more support. Working in a community setting certainly has its unique
set of challenges.
“One of the primary issues I’ve observed is the integration of health promotion strategies
with clinical care. For instance, we recently rolled out a new diabetes prevention
program that emphasizes diet and exercise. But I noticed not all the physicians were
referring patients to the program, maybe due to a lack of awareness or understanding of
the benefits. Many patients who could benefit from preventive strategies have been
missing out.
“Another challenge is the coordination with external community resources. We often
refer patients to local gyms, nutritionists, or support groups. But sometimes, there’s a
disconnect. I remember referring a patient to a local fitness center, only to find out later
that they had shut down. We need a more updated and dynamic system to keep track of
these community resources to ensure our patients get the support they need.”
NURSE LILY TOMSKI, Community Health Nurse. Nurse Tomski provides direct nursing care
to patients in the community health center and engages in health promotion activities.
She administers treatments, monitors patients’ health, provides health education, and offers
support to both patients and their families.
“You always have a way of asking the tough questions, don’t you? But I’m glad you’re
bringing this up. We’ve been through a lot together, and I think it’s essential to address
these challenges head-on.
“The diversity of our patient population can be both a blessing and a challenge. I had a
patient, Mrs. Cha, who needed dietary advice for managing her hypertension. I gave her
our standard dietary guidelines, but she struggled because they didn’t align with her
cultural food preferences—and sometimes she seemed to accept the recommendations
but I wondered if there had been a language barrier that prevented me from
communicating the importance of these dietary changes. We need more culturally
tailored health promotion materials to serve our diverse community.
“And don’t even get me started on the logistical challenges of our health education
sessions. Remember the breast cancer screening workshop we organized last month?
We had a great turnout, but the room was so cramped, and we ran out of materials. It’s
frustrating when you want to provide the best care and education, but logistical issues
get in the way. We need to plan better and maybe even allocate more funds for these
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essential programs. But challenges aside, I know we’re making an impact in the
community every day, and I love our team. Want to grab some coffee this weekend?”
DR. AISHA PATEL, Primary Care Physician. Dr. Patel offers medical care to patients,
focusing on both treatment and preventive measures. She diagnoses, prescribes treatments,
and provides health education, ensuring patients receive comprehensive primary care.
“From a physician’s perspective, one of the challenges I often face is the time constraint
during patient consultations. With the number of patients we see daily, it’s tough to
spend adequate time discussing preventive measures. I had an asthma patient just a
few days ago and I wanted to spend more time discussing the details of smoking
cessation with him, but with back-to-back appointments, all I could was tell him his
asthma would be a lot better if he quit and hand him a pamphlet.
“Another issue is the consistency in health promotion messages across the team. I
remember prescribing a specific dietary plan for a diabetic patient, only to find out later
that she received a different set of guidelines during a health education session. We
need to be sure our messages are consistent to avoid confusing our patients and
damaging our team’s credibility with patients when there’s inconsistency.”
MARIA GONZALES, Community Health Worker. Ms. Gonzales engages directly with the
community, offering health education and gathering insights on community health needs.
She conducts home visits, organizes health talks, and acts as a bridge between the community
and the health center.
“On the ground, one of the challenges I face almost every day is a lack of real-time
communication with the health center. When I’m out in the community, conducting home
visits or health talks, I often come across new health concerns or issues. But relaying
this information back to the center and getting timely feedback can be a hurdle.
“Additionally, there’s the challenge of building trust within the community. Many residents
are wary of new health initiatives, probably due to cultural beliefs or previous negative
experiences. I tried to introduce a new vaccination program in a particular neighborhood
a year or two ago and the resistance was palpable. It took multiple sessions and
collaborations with local leaders to gain their trust.”
JAMES KIM, Social Worker. Mr. Kim addresses the psychosocial needs of patients and
connects them with relevant resources. He offers counseling, assists with social determinants of
health, and connects patients with both internal and external resources.
“From my end, the big challenge often lies in addressing the social determinants of
health. Many of our patients face issues like unemployment, housing instability, or
domestic violence. These factors significantly impact their health, but our current system
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isn’t fully equipped to address them. Several patients of mine over the years repeatedly
miss their appointments because they don’t have stable housing. We need more
integrated services to address housing issues holistically.
“Another challenge is coordinating with mental health services. Many of our patients
require immediate psychological support, but the wait times for counseling and therapy
are so long that it’s hard to keep a patient motivated to get the help they need. Just last
week, a patient with severe depression reached out and the earliest appointment I could
get for her was a month out. The same thing happened to her last time she reached out
and she disappeared for almost a year and she sounded worse this time. We need to
bolster our mental health services and make sure patients can access them when they
need them.”
DR. ELEANOR McHUGH, Staff Epidemiologist. Dr. McHugh monitors and analyzes health
data to guide the center’s health promotion and disease prevention strategies. She collects and
analyzes community health data, conducts research studies, and makes sure that research
findings are integrated into health promotion programs.
“This is a great conversation you’re starting—I’m glad you’re doing it. We really need to
be keeping better tabs on gaps in service and performance so that we can address them
properly.
“From an epidemiological standpoint, one of the big challenges I face is the timely
collection and analysis of health data from the community. For effective health promotion
and disease prevention, we need up-to-the-minute data on disease prevalence,
vaccination rates, and other health indicators, but there are often delays in data
reporting, which impacts our interventions. During the flu season last year, transmission
had already blown up by the time we realized the severity of the outbreak on the north
side of the county. That data failure means more people get sick and our job is harder
when we’re trying to protect their families and neighbors, because there’s already more
stress on the health care system.
“Another issue is integrating research findings into practice. We conduct studies and
surveys every year to understand health behaviors and determinants in our community.
But there’s often a gap between those findings and their implementation in our health
promotion programs. We did a study a couple years ago on barriers to prenatal care in
young mothers. The insights were valuable, but it took months before they were
incorporated into our maternal health programs. We need a more streamlined approach
to make sure that our research benefits the community as quickly as possible.”
