Communications and Interpersonal Skills. Discuss its importance to
Professional Practice in general and in Podiatry.
This essay aims to show what communication and interpersonal skills are, how they are linked with standards for professional behaviour and, why both are important for individual Health Care Professional (HCP) like podiatrists.
The NHS is committed to quality patient care to the highest standards both clinical treatment and professional behaviour (Department of Health, pp 3-4, 2013). Evidence based guidelines and standards of working practice have been written by NICE (2014) and the HCPC (2014) to allow HCPs to work to this end.
Over the last thirty years the NHS has placed increasing value on multi-disciplinary team (MDT) work to improve the welfare of the patient; the systems of working; and, increase efficiency in costs (Sanders, Robbins & Edmonds, 2010). Reduction rates in major amputations in diabetic patients fell by 82% over an 11 year period following the development of the MDT foot clinic in Ipswich (Krishnan, 2008).
The value placed on multi-disciplinary team (MDT) work brings with it an inherent need for excellent communication skills within the team, with the patient and the wider environment such as the patient’s family. (Street & De Haes, 2013). In managing all the aspects to achieving a positive patient outcome, the team needs to communicate with each other and the patient in order to affect shared-learning, identify obstacles, accept
Moreover, the discussion will then be on the professional behaviours of healthcare providers using communication within the multidisciplinary team (MDT) and its impact on patient care journeys. Whilst there are other factors affecting HPC, professional behaviours in MDT as well as adaptations in diverse clinical settings, communication will be the main emphasis throughout. This essay’s reflections are based on my role as a healthcare assistant and the roles of my colleagues within the multidisciplinary team.
Teamwork and collaboration with other healthcare providers is very important. To function effectively there needs to be mutual respect, open communication, and shared decision making in the best interest of the patient. As a member of a team it is vital to know ones own strengths and limitations, this way patients receive the best care.
In the beginning of this activity, I did not know much about collaboration between different healthcare professionals. It helped me to clarify the meaning of a healthcare team and also to understand the role of different professionals in the team. Different team members have their specific roles and all of them work together to achieve a common goal –healthier patient. They work independently, but when it comes to decision making they seek advice from other healthcare provider in order to do the best for the patient. Not only doctor, physiotherapists, pharmacists and etc. are considered being part of the team. Patients must also be considered part of the decision making process,
Successful teamwork and collaboration directly affects the efficacy of interdisciplinary communication. When effective communication is achieved within the healthcare team, this increases the amount of positive patient outcomes. Nurses and physicians must cooperate in order to attain a synergetic relationship. Their roles are integral to creating a safe environment for their patients. When all of these elements combine, the quality of care improves and collegial relationships are strengthened.
In order for both teams to collaborate and successfully provide care to the patient, they must possess effective communication skills. For example, both teams should be active listeners. Listening actively reflects respect for what each person is thinking. With mutual respect, team members
“To become a high-performing team the team must be competent at goal setting, making assignments and ensuring that team members have the skills to complete them, consensus decision making, setting high standards, holding people accountable, and running effective meetings” (Dyer, Dyer, & Dyer, 2007, p. 74). In the article, “Professionals’ Views on Interprofessional Stroke Team Functioning” Jane Cramm & Anna Nieboer (2011) seek to explain that interprofessional teamwork is considered the core component of integrated care, a complex activity involving many different health care providers that demands effective team functioning (p. 1-2). And in the article, “The Role of Oncologists in Multidisciplinary Cancer Teams in the UK: An Untapped
“Interprofessional working involves complex interactions between two or more members of different professional disciplines. It is a collaborative venture in which those involved share the common purpose of developing mutually negotiated goals achieved through agreed plans which are monitored and evaluated according to agreed procedures. This requires the pooling of knowledge and expertise to facilitate joint decision making based upon shared professional viewpoints” (Barrett, Sellman & Thomas, 2005, p18). How individuals collaborate and work towards a common goal for the benefit of the patient is essential for a swift recovery.
“Extensive research has shown that no matter how knowledgeable a clinician might be, if he or she is not able to open good communication with the patient, he or she may be of no help” (Asnani, MR. 2009). Effective communication plays a big role in healthcare and contributes to the quality of patient care and teamwork.
This is a reflective essay based on a event which took place in a hospital setting. The aim of this essay is to explore how members of the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) worked together and communicate with each other to achieve the best patients outcome.
Teamwork and communication are very important in providing good quality care, especially in the healthcare field. A team is described as a group of people that works together and cooperatively, between each member of the group to reach a common goal (Sullivan, 2013). For a team to function, communication is essential. A report by McKay and Crippen (2008), as stated by Alfaro-LeFevre, (2013) showed that when collaboration is in place, hospitals can decrease their mortality rate by 41%. When mortality rate is lower, hospitals does not only decreased cost, but it also means that patients are receiving good quality care.
In this assignment, I am going to review four cases, which will require a number of different communication skills focusing primarily on; developing a therapeutic relationship, communicating assertively, communicating effectively with an individual with a disability/impairment and communicating with individuals from another culture. I will discuss building a therapeutic relationship and effective communication with each patient.
Teams working in a hospital or other healthcare setting may consist of several physicians, nurses, medical assistants, referral coordinators, pharmacists, therapists, and students among others. Such large teams can provide comprehensive care for complex and chronic illnesses, but when they fail to work well together, they
A report on the interpersonal skills of listening, questioning and feedback and the benefits of these in the engineering field
In this assignment I will focus and discuss my chosen theme which is Multi-disciplinary team working (MDT). This will mention roles within the MDT, skills for effective MDT working and responsibilities within the MDT. When focussing on my chosen theme within the Professional Development 2 module, I will complete a self assessment by reflecting upon my clinical and educational experience so
Including patients and families in the initial team discussion would provide a better perspective for the patient as to what topics are discussed and what efforts go into the multidisciplinary meetings concerning their specific disease. It would allow them an opportunity so see just how much detail is involved with these collaborations, and expose them to the science behind all the discipline-based evidence that is