Health Care Interprofessional 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.

The institute of Medicine (IOM) has defined quality healthcare as safe, effective, timely, efficient and patient-centered care that is given to an individual regardless of their race, gender, financial status or health status (Wood & Haber, 2014). Quality initiatives are designed to help maximize efficiency; decrease poor work performance and resolve workforce problems through leadership, commitment and involvement (Abdallah, 2014). Abdallah (2013) also noted that trained physicians can help with the implementation of quality culture and employee morale, and it can help with the collaboration of ACNP and physician management. According to Chorostecki et al. (2015), interprofessional (IP) care includes shared decision-making, collaborative problem solving, respect in the work field, and equal contribution among all healthcare team members. Implementing effective interprofessional collaboration can help enhance quality care in hospital, acute, home or office settings (Chorostecki et al.,

Interprofessional team collaboration for professional nurses is viewed as a method to improve the care and safety for patients. However, interprofessional team collaboration presents both advantages and challenges for nurses and other team members. One of the advantages is the coordination of care for the patient and the sharing of knowledge to improve the outcomes for the patient. Challenges for interprofessional team collaboration is: poor role-definition, miscommunication, conflict, lack of accountability for assignment of responsibilities and tasks (Reeves, 2012). This paper will discussion the role of a nurse on an interprofessional team and the challenges, why interprofessional teams promote patient safety, and strategies to promote success interprofessional teams.

During the two and a half years of my pharmacy journey, I have been thinking what can a pharmacist do within the healthcare interprofessional team to better help the patients in order to achieve the best health outcome. I work in a clinic as well as inpatient pharmacy, additionally, I had my rotations at CVS and Regions Hospital. all these experiences shape my version of the pharmacists at different settings. Therefore, in various pharmacy settings, pharmacists can work differently with the whole healthcare team. The recent PED-Rx events inspired me how important pharmacists can play roles in when working in a team.

Interprofessional communication and collaboration are a significant part of ensuring safe and effective patient outcomes. In the case detailed below the health care team failed to communicate and collaborate care of patient A, ultimately leading to a negative outcome.

Working in the healthcare field has its pros and cons, its risks and rewards. Depending on the type of facility that you work in, your experiences can vary dramatically. Staff members within a hospital setting tend to have a higher patient turnover rate, which leads to a faster paced work environment, as opposed to in Long Term care facility where the patients have a much longer stay. With that being said, there still is a common goal for patient safety and a healthy outcome. That could not be possible if all staff members did not collaborate with one another. “Furthermore, collaborating is as critical to the success of healthcare operation in an environment of limited and expectation of accountability”( Akil, H,& Watson, S. J. 2000). Collaboration is a team effort, and within that team each player has their own role. The “developmental process and the following steps are important for success; individual factors, individual team members, which bring unique attitudes and styles to the process of care, and these characteristics influence the outcome of collaboration.”( Akil, H,& Watson, S. J. 2000). With all of the hard work that each discipline contributes to a patient’s stay, the more efficient goals can be met.

Have you ever wondered what makes corporations successful? Have you ever asked yourself if by giving the best of your effort as an employee, you could be a key piece to the success of your team? Steve Jobs was so right to say “Great things in business are never done by one person. They are done by a team of people” (Whiting, 2013) and the medical field is not the exception. Interdisciplinary care and team collaboration are based on building great teamwork, maintaining alive the principles of collaboration, and minimizing the barriers in coordination of care. (Scott, 2014)

In order to collaborate successfully with the other members of the team, they have to ‘work together’. Collaboration implies “working together to achieve something that neither agency could achieve alone” (cited by Biggs in Day, 2006, p9). It involves effective communication and contribution to a common goal – and the health and wellbeing of the patient and shared responsibility of the outcome. Each team requires a quality leader, regular meetings attended by all members, joint assessment, regular reviews of patient records which should include ‘shared care plans’; joint decisions following consultation and task delegation to individual team members with the outcome being that “care must be structured, organised and systematically provided to each person in a variety of ways” (Creating an Interprofessional Workforce, 2007, p10).

According to American Nurses Association (2010) Scope and Standards of Nursing Practice, collaboration is defined as, “a professional healthcare partnership grounded in a reciprocal and respectful recognition and acceptance of: each partner’s unique expertise, power, and sphere of influence and responsibilities; commonality of goals; the mutual safeguarding of the legitimate interest of each party; and the advantages of such a relationship”.(p. 64). Collaboration amongst health care providers is very crucial in providing quality care to patients. Integration of disciplinary teams, improves communication, coordination, and most importantly, the safety and quality of patient care. It provides interaction between team members allowing

Supportive organizations and exceptional individual contributions set the stage for effective teamwork. Healthcare teams require a clear purpose that integrates specific analytical groups and multiple facets of patient care. “Healthcare teams which have a clear purpose that is consistent with the organizations’ mission, can be more clearly integrated, resourced and supported. Healthcare teams generate commitment through a shared goal of comprehensive patient care and a common belief that the team is the best way to deliver coordinated care” (Proctor-Childs, 1998, pp

Chatalalsingh and Reeves (2014) found that from a leadership perspective, making sure that effective interprofessional teamwork is in place is very crucial, yet a very challenging task. Members from various professions learn how to be team members by integrating their theoretical knowledge, skills, and attitudes, professional and regulatory obligations into team practice (p

Literature suggests that stronger collaborative relationships across healthcare disciplines is associated with improved patient safety, quality of care, and outcomes. For example, Tomblin Murphy et al found that when collaborative models of care initiatives were supported staff used evidence to develop care plans. Additionally, patients and their families were more involved when collaborative teams were in place (Chan A.K., Wood V., 2010; Tomblin, M. G., MacKenzie, A., Alder, R., & Cruickshank, C. 2013; Bethea, D. P., Holland, C. A., & Reddick, B. K. 2014). Often times, however, practitioner groups are reluctant to work closely with others from different professions for a variety of reasons, but mainly because they are not familiar with others scopes of practice and/or methods of care delivery (Vedam et al, 2014). Not all practitioners are ready to trust each other in a team setting and knowing who is and who is not to trust, may have an impact on successful collaboration for individuals over time. Additionally, interprofessional communication is a critical pillar for successful team delivered care. Interprofessional teams need participants who are not only excellent communicators but excellent listeners as well. Skilful and disciplined communication among and between individual practitioners is needed to carry out team-based goals and objectives.

It contains “messaging and information, task completion, resource management, and documentation support,” all of which are key components for efficient workflow as described by Samuels (Samuels, 2008). A breakdown in any of the above can lead to delays, reduced patient satisfaction, reduced provider satisfaction, and even harm when EHRs are used in acute care hospital settings such an intensive care unit (ICU) or emergency department (ED). Ash et al. investigated “unintended consequences related to CPOE implementation” and found one of the major issues involved “mismatches” between natural workflow and new workflow imposed by EHR use (Ash et al., 2007). Another study about clinical workflow showed that “information systems that are designed by a clinical team using a technology that enables real-time adaptation provides much greater efficiency,” utilizing Samuel’s key components in the setting of an Australian ED (Bishop, Patrick, & Besiso,

The team at a local cancer center that cares for and treats children with cancer is having trouble working together. The team is made up of six individuals, two male doctors and four females: a nurse practitioner, social worker, physical therapist, and child life worker. The social worker heads the team and is ultimately responsible for case management of 18 children in their care, but the two male doctors dominate conversations and healthcare decisions. They say that their medical backgrounds allow them to make the best decisions for the good of the patient, despite the fact that the women caregivers are the ones that spend the most time with the patients. In the end, the patient feels that no one cares or understands

The changes in the health system has led to the dominant of some professionals over other, mostly non physicians has dominated. This led to the rise in the costs of health services. Dow, Li, and Srinivasan wrote in their article, Training Residents for a New System of Primary Care, tips to train new physicians to overcome the raising costs and domination of non-physicians professionals and turn toward effective cares with lower costs possible. The solution emphasize the responsibilities of professionals to work together and share leadership, and to study the population to provide each patient with a quality low cost health care. This model stress three themes: The importance of inter-professional teamwork in caring for patients, the rise of patient-centered education within the healthcare system, and social responsibility of health professionals in the context of health disparities.