Teamwork And Collaboration In Patient Care

I have been fortunate enough to work in a teaching hospital for over a decade, on a unit that has a strong sense of teamwork. I have watched residents grow from unsure medical students to capable

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.

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.

As a scholar and leader in the area of medicine, it is imperative to understand how to work as a team to provide the best possible care to patients. “Educators are responding to complexities of today’s medical knowledge by developing educational programs based on current learning theories, such as enactivism, where learning takes place within teams that are actively engaged in clinical environments” (Davidson, Morgan, & Simons, 2012, p. 291). This results in more patients that can place their trust in physicians and nurses who know how to work together as a team.

The delivery of safe, affordable and quality healthcare to clients is an integral part in today`s health care. In order to provide the aforementioned care; inter-professional (IP) collaboration of the health care members is essential. The need for IP collaboration has been identified by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the federal government, the Department of Health and Human Services. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has identified the IP collaboration as an essential element of nursing education in the AACN Essential Series (Messer, n.d.). Evidence suggests that the collaboration among health professionals has been associated positively with patient outcomes in the operating room, the emergency

I do agree with you that collaboration require sharing knowledge to improve patient care. Initiating a trust among nurses and other health professional make patient care more reliable and progressive. This discussion relates me to Nurse 208, about the patient and nurse. Patient seek the medical attention mainly to the nurse, because the think that the nurse will help them to relive their illness, also promote adequate caring for them. However, when the patient relies on the nurse, the nurse should make patient to feel more comfortable about their illness by creating a strong communication, trust and caring to their patient. As you mentioned that nurses are the patient advocate to their patient. Collaboration in health care setting

A team is when people work together to achieve a goal. Teamwork is essential to provide patients with the best care they need. When people work effectively as a team, you are most likely to achieve the patients’ desired outcomes. In the hospital, they sometimes have an emergency called “Code Blue”. This is used to signify an emergency of a patient needing resuscitation, or immediate care due to a cardiac arrest.

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

A weakness in communication between interdisciplinary team members can impact patient safety and health . A recent study revealed that out of all the claims analyzed , 57 percent of malpractice cases reflected miscommunication between two or more healthcare providers (Riah, 2015). In fact, the same communication failures directly linked to 1,744 deaths over the past five years (Budryk, 2016). During my clinical placement this semester I have witnessed the overwhelming number of health care team members that are involved in each patient’s care. I also take part in morning nursing rounds where all nurses are updated on every patient’s status. Transmission of permanent patient information is also relayed to all members of the health team via the patient chart .Here , interdisciplinary notes all come together to form updated health information on patients. However, although I have read interdisciplinary notes from all team members , I rarely have had the opportunity to personally communicate with members other than doctors and nurses. Personal communication allows for a team member to pass on relevant information in a timely manner without the possibility or misinterpretations. When communication is strictly done non-verbally, it is impossible to ask any questions.. This is why communication between professionals in health care is essential for patient safety and improved quality of care (Koivunen, Niemi., & Hupli,2015). There are 3 main factors that cause miscommunication

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.

You shared a great example of collaboration, and I enjoyed that it has the well-being of the patient at the center of it. I agree with your statement that the presence of hierarchy in collaboration is something that can be worked on. There can be a sense of competition, where one party attempts to use their status to make their opinion more valid than others. I have seen this even amongst nurses where one will bring up seniority and try to use this to get their statement heard. Unfortunately, this does not foster an environment of openness where all voices are heard, and can be detrimental to the health of the patient. We must keep in mind that the patient is what matters.

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.

Teamwork is one of the main characteristics of nurseś job which ensures the best outcomes for the patient. Nurses work as a team and professional and friendly environment is essential to create good collaboration and ensure patient safety. Unfortunately horizontal violence decreases successful communication which can lead to the miscommunication and compromise patient safety.

The need to collaborate among other healthcare disciplines becomes more crucial for professional nurses, as the delivery of care to patients becomes more complex. “Quality and safety for patients rely on effective communication among all health team members” (Hood 104.)

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