Interprofessional Collaboration in Healthcare Today’s complex health care system requires that patient care be delivered by healthcare providers from multiple disciplines since it is evident that no single profession has all of the resources that are needed to address all of a patient’s holistic needs (Weller, Boyd, & Cumin, 2014). As a result, collaboration and effective communication are becoming an increasingly paramount subject that affects patient safety and have the potential to create improved patient outcomes and prevent inadvertent patient harm. Therefore, it is essential that healthcare professionals work together through teamwork and interprofessional collaboration in order to collectively deliver safe, and high quality patient-centered …show more content…
On the other hand, interprofessional collaboration is “when providers with different knowledge and skills interact to synergistically and constructively influence patient care”, and involves “direct and open communication, respect for different perspectives, and mutual responsibility for problem solving” (Lancaster, Kolakowsky-Hayner, Kovacich, & Greer-Williams, 2015, pp. 275). As previously stated, in our modern and complex healthcare environment, one has to collaborate with other health care professionals in order to genuinely help patients reach their optimal level of health. In the cardiac telemetry unit, a great majority of patients are seen by health care professionals of different specialties such as dietitians, physical therapists (PT), occupational therapists (OT), respiratory therapists (RT), nurses, physicians, certified nursing assistants (CNA), social workers, pharmacists, and health educators. An example of a situation where teamwork and interprofessional
The interprofessional team model is a group comprised of various healthcare disciplines working together towards common goals to meet the needs of the patient population. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines interprofessional collaboration in healthcare as occurring “when multiple health workers from different professional backgrounds provide comprehensive services by working with patients, their families, and communities to deliver the highest quality of care across settings” (WHO, 2010, p.13). In my final practicum at I have experienced interprofessional collaboration, while involved with the methadone program at Rosthern Hospital. Nurses have an important role in the methadone program, and the involvement of nurses in the program
Nurses are key components in health care. Their role in today’s healthcare system goes beyond bedside care, making them the last line of defense to prevent negative patient outcomes (Sherwood & Zomorodi, 2014). As part of the interdisciplinary team, nurses have the responsibility to provide the safest care while maintaining quality. In order to meet this two healthcare system demands, the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) project defined six competencies to be used as a framework for future and current nurses (Sherwood & Zomorodi, 2014). These competencies cover all areas of nursing practice: patient-centered care, teamwork and collaboration, evidence-based practice, quality
...mental changes of transforming health care organizations to support interprofessional collaboration and interprofessional education will create a highly functional nursing workforce that is capable of working with other health care professionals to ensure successful health outcomes (Chan et al., 2010). Thus, Administrators and policymakers may use the research of this interprofessional framework to address the crucial need to implement the interprofessional collaboration recommendations to improve the knowledge and skills of interprofessional collaborative teams to coordinate patient-center care. Consequently, there must be collaborative trust and support among all stakeholders in order for interprofessional collaborative practice to advance and have an optimal impact on the quality of patient centered care, healthcare professionals and health care organizations.
Using examples involving human service workers, discuss how interprofessional practice is defined. Discuss the barriers to interprofessional practice and how these might be addressed.
The term interdisciplinary refers to situations in which various disciplines are involved in reaching a common goal with each contributing his or her specific expertise. Teamwork is essential to reach any set goals or objectives. Every team member should have specific characteristics and functions in order for the team to function properly. Collaboration is important to ensure quality in completion of the task. In health care an interdisciplinary team is a group of health care professionals from diverse fields who work in a coordinated fashion toward a common goal for the patient/client and the patient’s families. During the coordination of care we may come across barriers making the goals tougher to achieve. As health care professionals we
rofessionals from different disciplines collaborating to provide care to patients. Effectively coordinated and collaborative inter-professional teams are essential to the care and treatment of patients (Rowlands & Callen, 2013; Doyle, 2008; Ruhstaller, Roe, Thürlimann & Nicoll, 2006; Simpson & Patton, 2012, p. 300). Communication is a process of conferring information between individuals through use of speech, writing or various other means, and is critical to the success of a multidisciplinary team (MDT) (Higgs, McAllister & Sefton, 2012, p. 5; Rowlands & Callen, 2013; Sargeant, Loney & Murphy, 2008). An MDT must use multiple strategies to enhance communication and ensure their success (Doyle, 2008). An effective MDT generates opportunities that benefit healthcare, which is the reason for the recent dominance of inter-professional care in health practice (Simpson & Patton, 2012, p. 300; Rowlands & Callen, 2013). Many barriers prevent effective communication within inter-professional teams. Lack of communication within MDTs presents challenges to their success, leading to numerous consequences, including the failure of the MDT (London Deanery, 2012; Sargeant et al, 2008). Communication between professionals is the key factor underpinning the potential success or failure of inter-professional teams, the outcome of the functioning of MDTs will either benefit or impair care of patients.
Nurses should foster collaborative planning to provide safe, high-quality, patient-centered health care. As nurses, we probably know the patients the best since we spend much more time with them than any other members of the care team. We are the liaison between the patient and the rest of the care team. We need to identify a potential problem or issue, and bring it to the attention of the whole care team. We should facilitate mutual trust, respect, shared decision-making, and open communication among all relevant persons in the care of the patients. With the collaborative support of the whole care team, the patients are in a much better position and are more likely to make an informed and deliberate decision. Besides, the collaboration among the care team can facilitate communication among the care providers, and provide a channel for the care providers to vent their stress caused by the ethical dilemmas that they encounter in work. The support from peers is very important for care providers to maintain their emotional and psychological
This definition provides a goal for teams to strive for and outlines the important outcomes of high quality interprofessional collaboration. Highlighted in this definition is the need for participation and on-going collaboration and communication among caregivers who are focused on provision of seamless care. According to the WHO Study Group on Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice, (2008), collaboration is “an active and on-going partnership, often between people from diverse backgrounds, who work together
The practice of using inter-professional teams in delivering care is not a new concept but current health policy requires professionals work within a multidisciplinary team Department of Health (2001) and entrenched in the Nursing and Midwifery Council (2008) Code. The principle focus of this essay is to discuss the importance of inter-professional collaboration in delivering effective health care and what challenges and constraints exist. The integration of a case study will give an insight into inter-professional collaboration in practice.
Reflecting upon interprofessional education (IPE), hands on experience is vital for health care students across the Faculty of Health Sciences so that they may continue to develop better communication skills, enhance performance and develop conflict resolution capability in a team situation. Looking back on the online “Stroke and Depression” IPE workshop that was conducted as interprofessional group work has allowed me to gain not only the knowledge about stroke and depression but also the knowledge, skills and attributes required for interprofessional (IP) collaboration practice. My IPE team consisted of one medical scientist, four speech pathologist, two psychology students and three nursing students including myself. This analytical
As an advanced practice nurse (APN), one must interact with other medical professionals cooperatively and collaboratively to ensure the best outcomes for his or her patient population. Interprofessional collaboration happens when providers, patients, families, and communities work together to produce optimal patient outcomes (Interprofessional Education Collaborative Expert Panel, 2011). This type of teamwork and cooperation ensures that all of the providers caring for a patient act in a cohesive manner in which everyone including the patient plays a role in the management of the individual’s health. The purpose of this discussion is to evaluate interprofessional practice and provide the view of a
What I find most difficult about interprofessional care is the professional hierarchy that is often in place. When physicians have a say in a patient, other members usually do not question it or try to challenge it because that physician might not agree with it or because of their level of education. When I think of team, I think of it as if everyone is equal and anyone can state what they think is right or wrong in any situation. If physicians are not approachable or open to other ideas, it may be hard to have an equal balance of power in an interprofessional team. Another difficulty or disadvantage I see to an interprofessional team is understanding everyone’s roles in the team. I am assuming that as time goes on, everyone becomes aware of what each team member does for a patient, but I could also assume that some members put other responsibilities on your plate. For example, if there is a case where a mom is suspected of child abuse and the nurse witnesses it, it would make sense for the nurse to report it because they were a witness and mandated reporter. I have talked to my supervisor at my internship and she says that nurses usually do not report to CPS because they instead let the social worker know in order for the social worker to make the report. I assume it is because nurses have a lot patients to see during their shifts and making a CPS report could take some
Ignatavicius, D. D., & Workman, M. L. (2013). Medical-surgical nursing: patient-centered collaborative care (7th ed.). St. Louis: Elsevier Saunders.
Collaboration is the foundation to success in any team. In the healthcare setting, interprofessional collaboration (IC) has been a significant trademark among numerous highly successful innovations. Collaboration between nurses and other healthcare providers improves the quality of care, coordination, and communication between the team leading to increased patient safety. Working in a team to achieve common goals implies open communication, respect for others, mutual trust, and honesty. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the meaning of interprofessional collaboration, its implications for practice, describe the role of IC in the provision of patient and family-centered care,
There is evidence that suggests that working in partnership improves inter-professional understanding and relations (Pickard 2008) and access to services for service users is enhanced (Brown et al. 2002). When professionals work in partnership it brings about a range of benefits such as economy, efficiency and effectiveness. There are a range of benefits accrued to the service user such as enhanced quality of care in terms of support in out of clinical areas...