Reference no: EM133217564

Assignment - Comment on Measuring Interprofessional Collaboration in Healthcare Discussion Response

This was my first introduction to the "SWOT Analysis". I think that any healthcare organization has strengths and weaknesses that need to be identified, discussed, and maximized or overcome. This tool was primarily used in other industries but is gaining popularity in healthcare. "The primary areas driving change in healthcare include quality improvement, customer satisfaction, improvement of working conditions, and diversification of the healthcare workforce" (Gretzky, 2010).

This was a great template to understand the innerworkings of my practicum site. Rand Schrader is a clinic of LAC+USC on their main campus in Los Angeles. Being a county funded organization that works with mainly medical patients, it allows for intimate business transactions between the city and the clinic. Information is disseminated accurately, and it seems to be a symbiotic relationship happening between the department of health and the HIV clinic. Working closely with a vulnerable patient population allows for the city to keep record of outbreaks of disease and action plans to promote the health within the community they care for.

Weakness can be converted into strength when stakeholders and leaders identify problems and create action plans to fix them. For example, the clinic has been identified by the county as the "hub" for Monkeypox prevention and treatment. The Rand Schrader clinic has the most vaccine doses on site for distribution to our vulnerable population. I was tasked to call patients on our list of most at risk to invite them to make appointments to receive their vaccines. My preceptor participates in stakeholder meetings every Thursday that serves the most up to date information on data and vaccine efforts. The tricky part of caring for a new disease outbreak is educating those that are on the frontline and easing their hesitancy to treat. Our nurses at the clinic participated in educational meetings regarding how to administer the vaccine properly as well as information to give to the patients that arrive with active outbreaks as well as to those that are seeking preventative vaccines.

The trust and availability of the clinic is a strength that I have seen that helps them overcome threats in the community they care for. Not only with Monkeypox, but with HIV and other STDs like syphilis and chlamydia, the clinic is a hub that the community knows and trusts. Having a place for consistent care and having staff that follows up and seeks out patients when they miss appointments creates a nurturing environment. Optimizing strengths is something I hope to participate in while there for my academic internship. I want to streamline the communication between the LA county and the Rand Schrader clinic when it comes to their newly diagnosed HIV patients.