The success of high-quality team-based health care is a function of effective communication, interdisciplinary collaboration, and shared vision described in the organization’s leadership model. The nature of the complexity of information and interpersonal connections in healthcare calls for provision of coordinated care that involves all members of the interdisciplinary team including health care professionals, the patient, family members, and other support entities and persons who share collective interests and demonstrate shared ownership (Babiker et al., 2014, p. 11). In the common healthcare procedures and protocols, provision of care to an individual patient is a function handled by multiple clinicians who work as a team with a common objective of delivering the best possible care. The effects of uncoordinated care due to a lack of high-quality teamwork are manifested in increased emergency room visits, hospital readmissions, and duplicate diagnostic testing among others. The cumulative effect is the cost implications and wastage of resources.
Through communication, shared decision-making processes can be implemented whereby patients are accorded the opportunity to communicate their goals and preferences for incorporation into the care plan (Nancarrow et al., 2013). The understanding and sharing of the patients’ needs and preferences among care providers, patients and families can only be done through care coordination in order to avoid conflicting plans of care and under-, over-, or misuse as well as a waste of prescribed medications. The patient’s plan of care is then implemented by a multidisciplinary team whose shared goals or visions collectively focus the delivery of the best possible care (Mitchell et al., 2012). Communication and trust is built through the acceptance of the team’s professional differences, collaborative strategies, and proactive error resolution (Weiss et al., 2014).
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Therefore, to ensure that inefficiencies and errors are well addressed and prevented, there must be explicit acknowledgment and purposeful refinement of the team (Mitchell et al., 2012). There is need for deliberate efforts in “developing information exchange strategies that distribute leadership and facilitate accountability and engagement of every member of the team” (Weiss et al., 204). High-functioning teams are characterized by the team’s social and interpersonal processes such as members’ communication networks, collaborative styles, and negotiation and conflict resolution strategies that reflect shared goals, expectations, and excellence.
In summary, the best health care is patient-centered and outcomes-oriented. Therefore, to ensure that the threats of uncoordinated care, waste, and costs are eliminated, a shift to a medical culture that upholds high-quality healthcare teams defined by communication, collaboration, and shared visions is paramount. Healthcare systems must facilitate care coordination among all stakeholders and promote autonomy and informed decision-making.
References
Babiker, A.,, A., El Husseini, M., Al Nemri, A., Al Frayh, A., Al Juryyan, N., Faki, M. O., & Al Zamil, F. (2014). Health care professional development: Working as a team to improve patient care. Sudanese Journal of Paediatrics , 14 (2), 9-16.
Martin, E. (2014). Eliminating waste in healthcare. ASQ Healthcare Division , 1-7. Retrieved from http://asq.org/health/2014/06/basic-quality/eliminating-waste-in-healthcare.pdf
Mitchell, P., Wynia, M., Golden, R., McNellis, B., Okun, S., Webb, C. E., & Kohorn, I. V. (2012). Core principles and values of effective team-based health care. Journal of Interprofessional Care , 1-30. Retrieved from https://www.nationalahec.org/pdfs/VSRT-Team-Based-Care-Principles-Values.pdf
Nancarrow, S. A., Booth, A., Ariss, S., Smith, T., Enderby, P., & Roots, A. (2013). Ten principles of good interdisciplinary team work. Human Resources for Health , 11 (1). doi:10.1186/1478-4491-11-19
Weiss, D., Tilin, F. J., & Morgan, M. J. (2014). The interprofessional health care team: Leadership and development . Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
