Optimizing Care Through Evidence and Remote Collaboration- A Case Study

Hello. My name is Sherita. In this tutorial, I will take you through a Remote Collaboration and Evidence-Based Care plan to improve patient safety and care outcomes. Arguably, mental health issues have become an issue of concern, especially with emerging global health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic, as we all experienced based on some of the measures taken to curb its spread, meant that a majority of healthcare services were pushed to remote delivery. However, as Liberati et al. (2021) note, remote mental healthcare during the pandemic created varying experiences and challenges for service users, caregivers, and healthcare staff, especially in the delivery and access of secondary mental health services. For instance, due to the lockdowns and cessation of movement, some patients found it hard to meet up or travel to access mental health services, while others lacked the means to access the needed care. In most healthcare settings, such as rural and remote rural regions, whether there is an active pandemic or not, mental healthcare delivery remains a challenge due to resource limitations. The use of emerging healthcare technologies, such as telehealth in rural settings and during the COVID-19 pandemic, has become an essential way to improve access to healthcare services, including mental health services. In this video recording, I will focus on a patient in a rural care setting diagnosed with anxiety. In the recording, I will propose an evidence-based care plan to improve the safety and outcomes of the patient during care. I will also identify the benefits and strategies to mitigate interdisciplinary collaboration challenges in care planning in remote teams.

Firstly, let me provide details about the patient and the case.

The patient is a 35-year-old female diagnosed with anxiety. The patient lives in a rural area, which limits access to specialized mental health care. Based on the diagnosis, the patient experiences anxiety-related symptoms such as excessive worry, restlessness, and difficulty concentrating.

Now, let me provide details of the collaboration process.

The care providers attending to the patient are a primary care nurse, Maria, who collaboratively works with a psychiatrist, a therapist, and a social worker. It is worth noting that the collaboration occurs remotely. Maria believes the patient would benefit from a comprehensive treatment plan and request each provider to collaborate. The psychiatrist initiated a medication therapy using selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and benzodiazepines. The therapist notes the current remotely provided care using cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) involving relaxation techniques, exposure therapy, and cognitive restructuring has significantly improved the patient’s anxiety levels and coping skills. The social worker notes that they have been working closely with the patient to manage the social and physical environmental factors that affect her anxiety. The social worker has applied stress management techniques, social support networks, and community resources and recommends providing education and counseling to the patient and her family on self-care and stress reduction. The current care plan, as the team recommends, involves regular virtual follow-up visits to monitor the patient’s progress, medication adjustments, and ongoing support. However, the patient being remote creates a risk for poor outcomes for her by not adhering to the care plan and safety due to the risk of medication administration errors.

Now, here is my proposal for a care delivery plan that guarantees patient safety and the best outcome.

To help Maria improve the safety and outcomes for the patient, I propose an evidence-based care plan involving the adoption of a patient-centered approach and integration of telehealth services to improve the patient’s safety and outcomes. The Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice was utilized in the development of the plan. The model guided the search and analysis of evidence as well as the integration of evidence with the available expert perspectives and the patient’s values and preferences. In this way, it is possible to make decisions supporting the delivery of patient-centered care.

Let me share some of the evidence I found most relevant and useful when making decisions regarding my care plan.

My search for evidence focused on how the implementation of telehealth services helped improve patient safety and outcomes in mental care and how both telehealth services could be utilized to deliver patient-centered care. Some notable evidence is from Hilty et al. (2023), who note that telepsychiatry provides a cost-effective approach to providing mental and psychiatric care. Another relevant article by Keuroghlian e