Objectives: Assignment Task
After successfully completing this assignment students will:
1. Identify and analyze the concepts of integrated risk management as they relate to inter-professional healthcare.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the application of risk management principles using evidence-based health care and ethical frameworks as they relate to safety and quality in case situations.
3. Apply published theory to case situations.
4. Synthesize published material with the student’s own analysis to demonstrate appropriate conclusions.
Overview
The importance of communication in healthcare teams is paramount. The implications from the Case: Findings of the Inquest into the death of Roy Jacobs outlines clear and consistent areas of concern in relation to communication and accountability from the roles of the health professionals.
Communication between health care providers is a key element in how care is planned, implemented and evaluated. It is communication that ensures that all members of the health care team are aware of a person’s health status and of the relevant therapeutic interventions that are required.
Many areas in the Inquest into the death of Roy Jacobs address concerns where the accountability of the registered nurse as a member of the health care team is less than desirable. There are three statements within this case where the Coroner has highlighted concerns.
Students are to choose one statement to conduct their analysis.
Assignment Brief
Students are to conduct a critical analysis of one chosen statement (from the list below) and use the literature to support the analysis. The analysis should specifically relate to the communications held between the interprofessional team and the accountability of the Registered Nurse within their scope of practice whilst caring for Mr Roy Jacob.
Step 1:
Choose one (1) of the following statements to start the critical analysis
Statement 1.
In the report of the Inquest into the death Roy Jacob, the Coroner identified that: “notwithstanding an employer’s obligation to provide effective training for its clinical workforce, it remains the responsibility of individual health practitioners to maintain their professional competency and professional standards” (p.35).
Statement 2.
In the report of the Inquest into the death Roy Jacob the Coroner identified that: “Failure to recognise and respond to clinical deterioration and non-compliance with early warning and response tools is a recognised issue across the health sector, public and private.”
Statement 3.
In the report of the Inquest into the death Roy Jacob the Coroner identified that: “While aspects of his care were suboptimal, no one individual was responsible for these failings; rather a cascading sequence of events led up to his sudden and unexpected death.”

Step 2: Conduct the analysis
• The analysis should include the definitions of therapeutic communication and accountability and the relationship between the two concepts; the key presenting concerns that lead to issues in communication and accountability.
• Students should use examples from the case to highlight missed opportunities and areas where gaps are noted in the communication and care provided.
• Students must address the relevance of these areas as it relates to nursing communication and the accountability that the nurse exhibits or should have exhibited in these interactions.
• Students must provide a synopsis of suitable strategies to risk mitigate missed opportunities found in the Case.
• The analysis must be supported by relevant and contemporary literature including journal articles. It is expected that a minimum of 8 journal articles will be used.
Process
1. Due Date: 23rd April 2019
2. Word limit is 1500 words – 10% deviation allowed
3. This piece of assessment is an individual submission; it is not group work – it must be your own and will be electronically tracked against other submissions
4. Submitted via Study Desk, course site (only) – no emailed copies or hard copy will be accepted
5. APA6 referencing is required as per the USQ Library guide is expected.
6. Request for extensions are for extenuating circumstances and must be at least three days prior to due date. The examiner will request a ‘work in progress’ at the point of request.
References
Coroners Court of Queensland (2018) Inquest into the death of Roy Rodney Jacobs. Retrieved from: https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/544254/cif-jacobs-rr-20171117.pdf