Interdisciplinary Care And Collaboration Analysis

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.

Health Information Exchange (HIE) has become a major component in today’s healthcare. Health information exchange provides a secure way for providers to appropriately access and electronically share a patient’s medical information. Therefore, reducing duplicate testing, minimizing medication errors and providing a link among electronic health records (EHR) in order to provide quality healthcare.

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.,

Interdisciplinary teams in nursing basically focus on results on the basis that the involved participants share the responsibility for achieving these outcomes. These teams comprise of members from different practices in the healthcare field who gather information to achieve consensus. Based on the required skills at a specific time, the leadership of these teams may be rotated among the associates or team members. In order for the interdisciplinary teams to function effectively in the nursing field, their leaders primarily facilitate instead of directing the collective work. Interdisciplinary teams function effectively through establishing clear goals, evaluating progress, plan ahead, clarify roles, share the leadership, and capitalize on individual talents (Wenckus, 2004).

In order to fully explore the nature of team work in healthcare it is importance to first look at what defines a team.A team can be defined as two or more people with specific roles working together to achieve a common purpose(Kalisch & Begeny, 2005). For

Furthermore, being able to working in a team is also essential for a physician. Coordinating thoughts and actions with colleagues will create opportunities for collective thinking, pooled efforts, and constructive criticism to more efficiently provide care. This can be reflected through my role as president of the Muslim Students Association where I oversee an eleven-member executive board coordinating their actions to put on many events throughout the year.

Working in a team is an important responsibility by understanding each other’s role which may include doctor, nurse, occupational therapist, physiotherapist and many more. Team members divide the work based on their scope practice such as acute care, metal health care, homecare etc. Interprofessional collaboration practice is decision making and communicating between individuals for their patient’s health based on their knowledge and skills. It helps to promote habits, maximizing health resources, leading care to be safer with patient’s satisfaction and Canada’s health care (Kenaszchuk, Reeves, Nicholas, & Zwarenstein, 2010).

Integrating patients and families into an interdisciplinary team may present challenges. Members of the healthcare team come from different backgrounds, and the member may be influenced

There is a lack of knowledge and appreciation for the roles of other health professionals in the interprofessional team. “It is also difficult to make compelling arguments for team building to senior decision-makers” (Grant & Finnochio, 1995). In addition there is a lack of outcomes research on collaboration. Interprofessional teams have to overcome financial and regulatory constraints, as well as, legal issue of scope of practice and liability. Lastly, hierarchial structures tend to discourage interprofessional

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).

The fundamentals to providing quality patient care is teamwork and effective communication. According to O’Daniel and Rosenstein (2008), the components that are needed for successful teamwork as follows :

This team-oriented care was also correlated with lower infant mortality rates, and a smaller quantity of hospitalizations, and emergency room visits (Baldwin, 2007). Furthermore, there were less visits for illnesses and more for ordinary supervision once this approach was implemented (Baldwin, 2007). These are some of the ways interdisciplinary teams have been shown to improve health care delivery. It is important to understand that beneficial outcomes will not be the same across the many health care fields. Workforce restructuring as a result of the attempt to meet the needs required by interdisciplinary health care, implies new methods of service delivery. The restructuring and changes brought about by the shift from traditional physicians to interdisciplinary teams has a major impact on every sector of health care. Yet, there are sectors in which there has been significant debate as a result of the organizational challenges. Primary care is looked upon as having the least likely level of success with interdisciplinary efforts (Nancarrow et al.,

Teamwork is vital in healthcare.  When all participants are engaged in a program, goals are successfully achieved. Being able to communicate and work collectively as a team requires an appreciation for each other’s area of practice.  Every team member has an important role and being acknowledged provides a sense of responsibility and accountability. Essentially, inter-professional collaboration helps ensure that the patient is getting care that is not only accessible but also comprehensive.  The plan of a patients’ care includes active participation by all health care professionals working interdependently in accordance to the patient’s preferences, values and beliefs. The health care team accomplishes the goal of meeting the patient’s medical needs by delivering evidence-based practice.   To deliver quality care, the patient should always be involved.

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

Each of us has a map or mental model inside our heads that creates meaning for the things we experience. This mental model carries many assumptions, values and thus, expectations. A mental model is developed as a selection process that pulls out specific but limited data. This mental model allows us to make sense of the world by selecting out information based on our knowledge, skills, experiences and values. The current context of different mental models of collaboration and status differences between team