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Defining Roles and Responsibilities in the Interprofessional Team

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Defining Roles and Responsibilities in the Interprofessional Team Abstract According to Barnsteiner (2007), “The work of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and others has clearly demonstrated that when healthcare professionals understand each others’ roles and are able to communicate and work together effectively, patients are more likely to receive safe, quality care” (p. 144). There are many good practices to consider when evaluating the roles and responsibilities of an interprofessional team member. This paper will look at four interdependent strategies; team member roles must be clearly defined and articulated, there must be an understanding and respect for each other’s roles, there must be an appreciation of each …show more content…

Team members must also be respectful of one another, welcome diversity, and establish both trust and accountability within the team. All team members must be willing to decide how they will work together by jointly developing a code of conduct, ground rules, or team principles. These should support the team mission and drive the team toward accomplishing its goal. Banutu-Gomez (2011) indicated, “Also, all the members of an effective group need to be committed to the group’s ideas, goals, and decisions or the team will be unable to get any work done” (p. 60). Interprofessional healthcare teams are no different, members should be chosen from a variety of disciplines who share common values and interest in the project goal and outcomes. Interprofessional healthcare teams are often made up of physicians, nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and social workers. Which healthcare professional assumes which role varies the choice very much dependent on the teams goal or outcome. If the teams outcome is to reevaluate the role of the nurse within an outpatient ambulatory care setting you may want the nurse to team lead as he/she will have the best knowledge and skill set to help the team reach its goal. O’Daniel (2008) stated the following: Collaboration in health care is defined as health care professionals

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