Building Partnerships to Improve Patient Care
Modern hospitals are complex organizations, which contain large numbers of physicians, specialists and patients. Emphasis is placed on the delivery and outcome of treatments. Facing limitations on resources and demand for continuous improvement in the quality of patient care, hospitals increasingly turn to partnerships with vendors to conduct research on hospital operation. In the article “Tracking skin integrity: A template for hospital and vendor collaboration” one such partnership between the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Hill-Rom, a vendor of therapeutic bed surfaces, is presented as a model for hospital-vendor partnerships.
The Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) was approached by Hill-Rom with a proposal to test the usefulness of various clinical indicators used to monitor pressure ulcers in patients. Pressure ulcers are a problem in which hospital-vendor partnerships can substantively impact patient care, as ulcers “have a significant impact on patients physically, psychologically and financially” (Kilpack, Campion, Stover, Wood & Cocke 19). Consequently, patients who develop pressure ulcers during a hospital stay are less likely to give favorable ratings to the hospital. Developing and monitoring indicators of processes and outcomes in patients at risk of acquiring ulcers during long hospital stays, according to Kilpack et al., had benefits for both the DHMC and Hill-Rom.
The article goes into detail about the challenges and successes associated with the partnership between the DHMC and Hill-Rom. The relationship between employees between the organizations initially suffered from a lack of trust. Kilpack et al. note that health care providers like the DHMC are concerned with the welfare of their patients, making them wary of vendors perceived as being motivated by profit. Later in the project, it became clear that the group had made mistakes in the design of the collaboration. For example, the project team had to be downsized after six months, as the large size of the group prevented members from communicating freely with one another.
The recommendations produced by Kilpack et al. offer a roadmap for other organizations to follow in designing effective partnerships. While the article is written for members of health care provider or vendor organizations, it appeals to a broader audience. All organizations possess unique missions, cultures and structures. The establishment of institutional relationships requires open and frank discussion, but successful partnerships produce benefits for both the partners and those whom they serve. The prevention of ulcer development in DHMC patients resulting from this study is an example of the outcomes that properly conducted collaborative projects can produce.
Citation information:
Kilpack, V., Campion, P., Stover, P., Wood, M.E., and Cocke, M.W. (1996). Tracking
skin integrity: A template for hospital and vendor collaboration. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 10(3), 18-27.