Fostering More of a Cooperative, Team Environment in the Labor and Delivery Unit
The success of the operations in the Labor and Delivery unit in neonatal intensive care is dependent on the level of cooperation and teamwork within the unit. Ethical dilemmas and interprofessional and parent disagreements regarding the care for preterm babies are common in neonatal care. As a result, this undermines cooperation and teamwork within the unit and risks unwanted outcomes. The nurse manager in this unit is expected to ensure strong teamwork and cooperation. The nurse can employ strategies that improve the communication skills of all of the professional care providers and the patients to achieve desirable team cooperation.
Accordingly, research has identified that sensitive communication in neonatal intensive care units leads to the development of culturally sensitive family-practitioner interactions and the development of family-centered care (Davis et al., 2022). Therefore, sensitive communication can improve the interprofessional relationships within the unit and support the understanding of the patient’s stress. It can motivate the nurses and the patients to get involved in decisions regarding the preterm child. The nurse manager can ensure a more cooperative and teamwork environment and support the nurse-patient relationships by promoting frequent sensitive communication between the unit’s health care staff and the patients.
Effective Type of Leadership/Management Style in This Situation
The Delivery and Labor unit situation requires constant communication, teamwork and cooperation, motivation, exploring options despite uncertainties, and the application of holistic approaches to ensure positive outcomes. In this situation, the leader and nurse manager must be a good motivator, a good communicator, adaptable to changes, empathetic, able to work with diverse team members, inspirational, be able to see beyond uncertainties, be courageous and confident, and lead by an example. Therefore, a transformational leadership style would be the most effective in the situation.
Transformational leadership utilizes a framework of vision, inspiration, and intellectual stimulation to motivate people toward achieving desired goals and change (Yin et al., 2020). Transformational leadership in nursing promotes effective communication and positive attitudes, creating a healthy work environment for all healthcare employees and staff (Robbins & Davidhizar, 2020). Previous research has identified that applying the transformational leadership style in intensive and critical care settings improved the quality of nursing care in such care units (Kiwanuka et al., 2021).
References
Bell, E. F., Hintz, S. R., Hansen, N. I., Bann, C. M., Wyckoff, M. H., DeMauro, S. B., Walsh, M. C., Vohr, B. R., Stoll, B. J., Carlo, W. A., Meurs, K. P. van, Rysavy, M. A., Patel, R. M., Merhar, S. L., Sánchez, P. J., Laptook, A. R., Hibbs, A. M., Cotten, C. M., D’Angio, C. T., Sood, B. G. (2022). Mortality, In-Hospital Morbidity, Care Practices, and 2-Year Outcomes for Extremely Preterm Infants in the US, 2013-2018. JAMA, 327(3), 248–263. https://doi.org/10.1001/JAMA.2021.23580