Collaboration in healthcare remains one of the most fundamental concepts closely associated with positive outcomes on the patients. The concept of collaborations focuses on how healthcare professionals relate with one another. Collaboration can be defined as the ability of healthcare professionals to embrace and accept the complementarity of roles in their teams. It requires various professionals such as physicians, nurses, and pharmacists, among others, to share responsibility and work cooperatively in promoting patient care. Intra-professional collaboration has become a major consideration in many care centers, especially with the emergence of patient-centered medicine. The patient-centered care revolves around involving the patient in making critical decisions regarding their health. Intra-professional collaboration remains a significant agent for healthcare reform due to its ability to enhance harmonious working relationships, improvement of quality in healthcare, and most importantly, promoting patient-centered care.
As a health professional, I must remain aware of the fact that patient care can only be achieved when experts from different departments work together. Although each professional has distinct knowledge, the final outcome of the patient boils down to the overall input of every person in the care team. I believe that as a future healthcare worker, inter-professional collaboration is fundamental in asserting harmonious working relationships. The wellbeing of the patient directly depends on how different health workers associate with one another. Fox & Reeves, (2015) identifies several benefits that come with the inter-professional relationships including creating a satisfying health environment, reducing absenteeism, and setting platforms where people can learn and appreciate a wide array of skills. The inter-professional collaboration is therefore first and foremost important for the welfare of the healthcare workers who need to provide the best patient-centered care to their clients. Teamwork in the care setting not only reduces the work overload but also leads to improved satisfaction.
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The relationship between inter-professional relationship and improvement in the quality of healthcare has been well-documented. In supporting this, Mulvale, Embrett, & Razavi, (2016) assert that collaborative practice bolsters the healthcare systems, improves patient satisfaction, and leads to desirable patient outcomes. Research studies have shown that when healthcare practitioners work in a collaborative fashion, the chances are high that the morbidity and mortality rates will reduce. As a future health professional, my primary aim would be to ensure that the quality of the patient remains top-notch. It is my conviction that when people work in a team, the needs of the patients can be better satisfied than when the professionals work distinctly. As such, this results in an essential concept in the healthcare sector, known as patient-centered care. Fox & Reeves, (2015) mentions some of the most critical elements of the patient-centered care including the respect for patient value system, listening to the needs of the patients, and involving patients and their families in the process of decision-making.
The importance of inter-professional collaboration in leveraging the patient-centered care cannot be overemphasized. As previously indicated, the concept revolves around giving the patient a sense of autonomy and ensuring that they continuously participate in matters relating to their health. Fox & Reeves (2015) come up with another concept that combines collaboration and patient-centered care leading to “collaborative patient-centered practice.” In this dispensation, healthcare professionals from different disciplines interact, thereby leading to the establishment of a joint effort. As such, this gives them the impetus to explore and solve issues with the participation of the patient as an integral part of the intervention. As a health care worker in one discipline, I need to continuously keep in touch with other professionals to understand the needs of the patient. When each medic treats the patient as an entity, a sense of continuity and consistency deteriorates, thereby negatively implicating the essence of patient-centeredness.
Osbiston (2013) emphasizes that patients are essential team members in the hospital setting. Therefore, health practitioners have the moral obligation to use the patient’s knowledge and understanding to provide both emotional and physical support to the patient. It is only through the interaction and collaboration of the health workers that they can better understand the needs of the patients. For instance, Osbiston, (2013) narrates that when surgeons and anesthetists interact with one another, they are better placed to identify the stress and anxiety affecting their patients. Therefore, “knowledge of the role of others permits the challenging of poor or unsafe practice that may undermine patient values and positive outcomes” (Osbiston, 2013). I believe that this principle will guide me as I aspire to become a healthcare worker in my clinical area. I will endeavor to appreciate the role of others and their fundamental contribution to the field of medicine. It is also crucial to remain conversant with their ethical values and how they view the patient. All these will play a critical role in leveraging patient-centered care.
In conclusion, intra-professional collaboration remains a significant agent for healthcare reform due to its ability to enhance harmonious working relationships, improvement of quality in healthcare, and most importantly, promoting patient-centered care. Interdisciplinary cooperation among health workers creates an enabling environment for teamwork. Secondly, it improves healthcare by enhancing efficiency and reducing morbidity and mortality rates. Thirdly and most importantly, it ensures that the patient is considered as a team member in the care process. When two or more professionals work together, they are better placed to understand the needs of the patients, appreciate their position in healthcare, and respect their autonomy.
References
Fox, A., & Reeves, S. (2015). Interprofessional collaborative patient-centered care: a critical exploration of two related discourses. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 29(2), 113-118.
Mulvale, G., Embrett, M., & Razavi, S. D. (2016). ‘Gearing Up’ to improve interprofessional collaboration in primary care: a systematic review and conceptual framework. BMC family practice, 17(1), 83.
Osbiston, M. (2013). Interprofessional collaborative teamwork facilitates patient centered care: a student practitioner's perspective. Journal of perioperative practice, 23(5), 110-113.
