Nurses
have always worked with doctors to care for patients. Now, more involved
than ever in multidisciplinary team care, nurses want to understand
exactly how doctors are practicing medicine: the evidence they base
their decisions on, the guidelines they use, application of the electronic
medical record, and their approach to shared decision making. Doctors
and clinicians want to know the results of nursing research, nursing
recommendations about care processes, and nursing perceptions and service
practices. In the broadest context, all disciplines benefit from learning
about each other's research, processes, and practices.
With this
first issue of 2004, we welcome 7000 nurses to advise, participate in,
publish in, and receive the journal.
Multidisciplinary Care
The mission
of The Permanente Journal (TPJ) is to improve the quality
of health care to our members through the principles and benefits of
Permanente Medicine. One of the strategic focuses of TPJ, is
the multidisciplinary delivery of health care. KP-affiliated clinicians--nurse
practitioners, physician assistants, nurse midwives, CRNAs, and medical
social workers--are included in our distribution.
Because
of their importance and contribution to the health care team, we now
include KP nurses--inpatient and outpatient RNs, home health and advice
nurses--in the development of content and the distribution of TPJ.
George Halvorson Vision
During
a recent interview with George Halvorson, Chairman and CEO of Kaiser
Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, the discussion touched on the
importance of multidisciplinary teams and the importance of best practices.
Mr Halvorson indicated that he felt it was important that clinical teams
as well as affiliated clinicians receive TPJ:
"Team
care truly does work. In order to get there, we need to have a systematic
approach to team implementation. Teams don't just happen, or most
of them don't. We need to help create them ..."1:p52
Assessment
KP nurses
and pharmacists, in a recent assessment, indicated that receiving TPJ
would be relevant and of value to them and would support their clinical
collaboration with physicians.
Recent
KP National Market Research confirmed that improving KP's reputation
must involve an inside-out approach (experience, word of mouth). Including
nurses and pharmacists in the distribution of TPJ connects them
directly and collaboratively to the delivery of health care to members
and enhances internal reputation of quality and service.
In developing
this program of expanding the distribution of TPJ to nurses and
pharmacists, we worked with Bernard Tyson, Senior Vice President, Communications
and External Relations, and several KP nurse and pharmacist leaders,
including: Marilyn Chow, Vice President, Patient Care Services, Program
Office; Al Carver, Director of Pharmacy Strategy and Operations in California;
Jennifer Houten, Director of Ambulatory Nursing in Northwest; and Mike
Kinard, Regional Pharmacy Manager in Northwest. They were instrumental
in advising about the assessment and were enthusiastically supportive
of including nurses and pharmacists in the distribution of TPJ.
Expansion Plan
With the
direct support of Marilyn Chow and Bernard Tyson, we will distribute
TPJ to 7000 nurses--the most clinically active--across the program.
After one year, we will assess the value to nurses, physicians, clinicians,
and pharmacists, with the possibility of increasing the distribution.
We are also piloting distribution to pharmacists in the Northwest.
Thank You
The Advisory
Board and Editorial Team of The Permanente Journal would like
to recognize the strategic vision of George Halvorson and Bernard Tyson,
their dedication to the development of multidisciplinary clinical teams,
and the deep commitment to support this venture. The KP program will
take another step forward as the national health care solution--through
multidisciplinary clinical teams bringing the highest quality and service
to our patients and members.
Reference
- KP's
new man at the helm: George Halvorson. Perm J 2003 Summer;7(3):49-52.
