Date of Conferral

2018

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Sandra Wise

Abstract

Inadequate interprofessional collaboration (IPC) and communication among health care professionals are associated with medical errors and mortality. Guided by the theory of goal attainment and the chronic care model, a systematic review was conducted to explore the evidence related to whether interprofessional collaborative primary care can have a positive effect on health outcomes for patients living with diabetes (PLWD). The systematic review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute method for systematic reviews and results were complied with the PRISMA evidence-based minimum set for reporting. Data were analyzed to identify if IPC positively impacted the health outcomes of PLWD, as evidenced by a reduction in hemoglobin A1c and body mass index. Five studies met the inclusion criteria of English-speaking, peer-reviewed studies. Statistically significant improvement in hemoglobin A1c (p < 0.001) and body mass index (p = 0.026) was shown in 2 studies. Two studies lacked robust statistical analysis of the data; however, researchers showed an average reduction in participants' hemoglobin A1c from 10.6% to 8.8% (N = 45) in one study and a change of -0.7 to -0.9% (N = 3) in another. A fifth study showed that collaboration patterns that included equitable and comprehensive participation of 3 disciplines resulted in a lower proportion of patients with hemoglobin A1c levels greater than 9%. Four out of the 5 research studies noted the integration of pharmacists into the interprofessional collaborative team. The implication for positive social change for this systematic review is that the greater use of interprofessional collaboration and communication may improve the outcomes of patients with diabetes in primary care settings.

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