| Course | DNP 708 Systems Thinking in a Complex Health Care Environment |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | Case study analysis |
| Length | About 773 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Arizona State University |
| Program | Doctor of Nursing Practice |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for DNP 708 Module 1
Four Teams, One Patient, No System: A Complexity Analysis of Collaboration Around Heat Illness in Older Adults
Student Name
Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University
DNP 708: Systems Thinking in a Complex Health Care Environment
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Four Teams, One Patient, No System: A Complexity Analysis of Collaboration Around Heat Illness in Older Adults
The Case
In a Phoenix hospital's emergency department, a 78-year-old woman arrives by ambulance with a core temperature of 40.1°C. Paramedics found her on the floor of a mobile home whose air conditioner had failed four days earlier. She recovers and is discharged after two days to the same home, still without cooling. Eleven days later she returns by ambulance. The paramedics, the emergency nurses, the hospital social worker and the home health nurse who visits her twice a week each knew part of her story. None knew all of it, and none had a way to tell the others.
Leaders have tried to fix this twice. A memo asked emergency staff to "consult social work for heat patients," and a form was added to the record. Both were ignored within weeks. The case asks how a culture of interprofessional collaboration could be developed instead.
The Case as a Complex Adaptive System
Plsek and Greenhalgh (2001) define a complex adaptive system by three features: its members act on their own internal rules, each member's action reshapes the situation the others face, and the whole behaves in ways no one could forecast by studying any single member. Each group in this case fits that description. Paramedics optimize for getting patients to care quickly. Emergency nurses optimize for stabilizing and moving patients through a crowded department. Social workers manage caseloads that peak in the same months as the heat. Home health nurses see the home but rarely the hospital record. Each group behaves sensibly by its own rules, and the result is a system in which no one owns the patient's next hot afternoon.
Why the Mandates Failed
The memo and the form treated the problem as a machine: add an instruction and behavior will follow. In a complex system, an instruction that conflicts with the agents' own pressures is absorbed and ignored (Plsek & Greenhalgh, 2001). An emergency nurse with six patients will not page social work for a patient who looks well at discharge. Systems thinking explains this as a structure problem rather than a people problem: the outcome the system produces follows from its connections and incentives, and changing one rule at one point rarely shifts the pattern (Peters, 2014).
What Collaboration Research Offers
Reeves et al. (2017) pooled trials of workplace interventions meant to improve how professions collaborate, such as joint rounds, team meetings and shared checklists, in a Cochrane review; these efforts may slightly improve patients' functional status, adherence to recommended practices and use of health services, but the reviewers rated their confidence in those findings as low. The lesson for this case is modest but useful: structured contact between professions can help, and no single tool is likely to transform outcomes by itself.
Growing Collaboration Instead of Mandating It
Complexity science suggests that leaders can shape a system with a few simple rules and an attractor, a shared purpose that pulls agents toward new patterns (Plsek & Greenhalgh, 2001). For this case:
| Element | Proposal | Why it fits a complex system |
|---|---|---|
| Attractor | "No older adult goes home to a hot house" | A purpose every group already values, stated in plain words |
| Simple rule 1 | Anyone who learns a patient's home has no working cooling flags it in the shared record | Easy to follow, no new form |
| Simple rule 2 | A flagged patient is not discharged until someone has named who will check the home within 48 hours | Creates ownership without dictating who |
| Simple rule 3 | Every heat readmission is reviewed in a fifteen-minute call with all four groups | Builds relationships and learning |
| Feedback | A monthly count of flagged patients and heat readmissions shared with all four groups | Lets agents see the effect of their actions |
What Leaders Should Watch
The first sign of success will not be fewer deaths; it will be the groups calling each other. Leaders should watch for emergent behavior they did not design, such as paramedics starting to report home temperatures, and support it. They should also watch for the rules being gamed, such as flags placed to satisfy a count without anyone checking a home. In a complex system, the leader's role is to notice, amplify what works and adjust the rules.
Conclusion
The patient in this case was failed by four competent teams that were never connected. A culture of collaboration cannot be ordered into existence in such a system, but it can be grown through a shared purpose, a few rules that fit each group's work and feedback that lets every group see the whole patient.
References
Peters, D. H. (2014). The application of systems thinking in health: Why use systems thinking? Health Research Policy and Systems, 12, Article 51. https://doi.org/10.1186/1478-4505-12-51
Plsek, P. E., & Greenhalgh, T. (2001). The challenge of complexity in health care. BMJ, 323(7313), 625-628. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.323.7313.625
Reeves, S., Pelone, F., Harrison, R., Goldman, J., & Zwarenstein, M. (2017). Interprofessional collaboration to improve professional practice and healthcare outcomes. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (6), Article CD000072. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD000072.pub3
DNP 708 Module 1 instructions, in plain terms
The posted syllabus places the Case Study, Developing a Culture of Interprofessional Collaboration, in Week 1, when DNP 708 introduces complexity, chaos and complex adaptive systems, and case studies make up 5.5% of the grade. The syllabus notes that each assessment's description is provided within its rubric in Canvas, so the case itself and the questions to answer are found there. Expect to analyze an interprofessional situation through the week's concepts, explain why traditional fixes fall short in a complex system and propose an approach that fits how such systems behave. Even though the weight is small, this first case sets the vocabulary you will use in all three versions of the systems map. Keep the analysis tied to the case's details rather than to complexity theory in general.
Inside the DNP 708 Module 1 example
The paper opens with a short composite case, an older woman twice brought in with heat illness, and the two failed fixes leaders had tried. It then defines a complex adaptive system from the source and maps each of the four professions onto that definition. A section explains why the memo and form failed, using a systems thinking source on structure and incentives. The Cochrane review on interprofessional collaboration is reported with its low certainty, which keeps expectations honest. A table proposes an attractor, three simple rules and a feedback loop, each with a reason it fits a complex system. The paper closes with signs leaders should watch for and a short conclusion. Three sources support it.
Reading the DNP 708 Module 1 grading rubric
Case analyses in this course are likely scored on accurate use of complexity and systems concepts, depth of analysis of the case, quality of the proposed approach, use of evidence and scholarly writing. Tying every concept to one part of the case earns more than definitions do. Explaining why linear fixes failed shows systems thinking. Proposals that use simple rules, attractors and feedback demonstrate understanding of how complex systems change. Honest reporting of evidence strength strengthens credibility. A clear structure with headings helps faculty follow the reasoning. Because the case sets up the course's mapping work, a clear account of the system's agents and connections pays off later.
DNP 708 Module 1 help: mistakes that cost marks
Many first case analyses define complexity terms at length and never return to the case. Use each concept to explain something specific that happened. Another frequent problem is recommending a new policy or form, the very kind of fix the case often shows failing; ask how the system's agents would actually respond. Do not overstate what collaboration interventions achieve. The desk can write a version of this analysis for the exact case your faculty posted, using its rubric. Keep the paper focused on the questions in the rubric. Start your MindManager practice early, because the same system you describe here will become the basis of your first map.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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DNP 708 Module 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free DNP 708 Module 1 sample paper?
The case study above is a full DNP 708 sample on developing a culture of interprofessional collaboration, analyzed as a complex adaptive system with simple rules and a feedback loop.
What is the first assignment in DNP 708?
The posted syllabus lists a case study on developing a culture of interprofessional collaboration in Week 1, along with the course introduction and an attendance verification quiz.
What is a complex adaptive system in health care?
It is a set of agents, such as professions or units, who act on their own understanding, change the context for each other and produce patterns no one fully controls.
How much is the DNP 708 case study worth?
Case studies carry 5.5% of the grade in the posted syllabus, with the three systems maps carrying most of the course weight.
Why do mandates fail in complex systems?
Instructions that conflict with what agents need to do in their daily work tend to be absorbed and ignored, so leaders shape behavior through purpose, simple rules and feedback.