Case Study: Liver Transplant Intensive Care Unit Team
Mr. Taylor is a 57-year-old liver transplant patient. The team that receives the transplant patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) consists of the nurse assigned to the patient, a pharmacist, a surgical resident, a resident from the internal medicine team, a respiratory therapist, and the ICU head nurse; the family is often involved, especially at the beginning when history is being collected and as discharge approaches. The postoperative transplant team meets every morning to discuss the day’s plan for the patients. The day after Mr. Taylor’s transplant, the team meets, and the nurse assigned to him reports that he seems restless and anxious. After the team reviews the chart, the pharmacist notes that Mr. Taylor had been receiving the immunosuppressant medication intravenously for more than 24 hours and that he should have been switched already to the oral medication. She explains that “shakiness” is a common side effect of the intravenous (IV) version of the medication. The surgical resident suggests a consultation with the psychiatry department for an anxiolytic, but the ICU head nurse recommends switching the patient to the oral immunosuppressant medication and orienting him to lower the “anxiety” before getting the consultation. The assigned nurse offers to engage Mr. Taylor’s adult daughter because she is able to calm him and make him feel less uneasy. The team agrees on the plan.
Discussion Questions
- What actions in this case study demonstrate proficiency in Interprofessional Collaborative Practice? Identify at least two actions and explain your rationale using the Sub-competencies of any of the four Core Competencies.
- What are some of the advantages of working as an interprofessional collaborative team, as demonstrated in this case study?
- Who should be the leader of this team and why?
- Who should present the case to the group and why?
