Definition
Effective teamwork in health care requires the collaboration of various disciplines to achieve desired patient outcomes. Nurses therefore interact and work with multiple professionals in health care in the course of achieving their goals. These working relationships create the need for nurses to understand and embrace interprofessional collaboration in their workplace. When put into perspective, interprofessional collaboration refers to productive working relationships between nurses and other healthcare experts in teams or within the organization to provide efficient health care to patients. Collaboration involves execution of assigned tasks such that every member of the team performs specialized duties for the common good of the whole group.
Characteristics of Effective Interprofessional Teams
Thus, effective interprofessional teams are characteristically principled leading to positive patient outcomes and job satisfaction for team members (Mosch & Mancell, 2015). Another characteristic of effective teams is the ability to take responsibility and credit for the activity of the team. Responsibility ensures that team members undertake their duties with caution which in turn translates to better quality patient care. Collaboration efficiently reduces medical errors, mortality rates and preventable drug reactions (Mosch & Mancell, 2015, p. 176). Interprofessional teams reduce the amount of workload on each team member since tasks are shared according to the skills of the team members. With a reduced workload, burnout problems among nurses are prevented. As a result, the chance of medical errors occurring significantly reduces hence patient safety is improved. Effective teamwork also involves solving the problems that emerge within the team and the work environment as well as exchanging ideas that might benefit team members while caring for patients. Issues relating to patient safety and care are common in health care. Such problems are solved quickly and precisely in a team setting than by individuals.
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Advantages and Limitations
The benefits of interprofessional teams supersede their disadvantages, hence the adaptation of the method by a majority of organizations. Patients are the primary beneficiaries of interprofessional teamwork in healthcare settings. Patient outcomes and satisfaction significantly improve in organizations practicing interdisciplinary methods of collaboration (Reeves, Perrier, Goldman, Freeth, & Zwarenstein, 2013). These improvements are attributed to increased responsibility, reduced medical errors and commitment to achieving the goals set by the team. Job satisfaction levels are also observed to increase among members of interprofessional teams. Satisfaction levels rise due to reduced workloads and ideas exchange which makes the job more interesting. The organization also benefits from an improved public image resulting from positive patient outcomes. Increased trust in the organization is crucial for its overall growth. However, a few problems may paint a dark patch on the gains of interprofessional collaboration. Patients with trust issues may feel uncomfortable sharing their information with several members of the team. Furthermore, the organization’s management may encounter problems constituting the teams due to the shortage of skilled staff. Thus, some teams may lack the necessary personnel, therefore, compromising service delivery.
Challenges of Working in Interprofessional Team s
Additionally, interprofessional team members face various challenges while performing their duties. Lack of role clarity is a significant barrier to the thriving of these teams. Failed role clarity causes team members to have clashing tasks or some tasks remaining unattended because of poor distribution of duties. The result of such failures is an underperforming team with dissatisfied team members. Communication is a pillar of any team in health care. However, poor communication among team members is a critical problem that often causes breakdown of roles within the team. Further problems in interprofessional team emanate from professional hierarchies where some team members deem themselves as more important than others (Weller, Boyd, & Cumin, 2014, p. 149). Such practices cause conflict within the team leading to failure. Defined leadership roles are also vital to the success of the team. Challenges in defining these roles lead to the poor distribution of tasks.
Strategies for Effective Collaborative Teams
Overcoming these challenges requires the application of strategies that enhance collaboration. These strategies need to be focused on individuals within the team who work towards achieving the goals of the team. Effective collaboration requires constant and effective communication between team members (Weller, Boyd, & Cumin, 2014). From the onset, methods of communications should be defined to avoid distortion of information or failure to access crucial information. For example, personal cellphones might not be effective since calls might be ignored or missed. Role clarity is also essential in collaborative teamwork. Each team member needs to understand the limits of their roles to avoid conflicts that may emerge because of overlapping tasks. Additionally, team members should embrace cooperation. Educational interventions can also enhance teamwork (Weller, Boyd, & Cumin, 2014, p. 149). Such intervention broaden the knowledge of team members on the importance of teamwork. They also teach members problem-solving skills which are essential for the team’s functions. These strategies when applied efficiently contribute to the success of collaborative teams.
Measures of Success
Success for interdisciplinary teams is measured by the nature of patient outcomes and safety (Mosch & Mancell, 2015). A successful team improves patient outcomes through reduction of errors and reduced rates of readmission. Collaboration also enhances the attitudes of healthcare professionals, leading better working conditions for the staff (Brock et al., 2013). Through effective teamwork, the public image of the organization is also enhanced which translates to more customers and the ability to attract the best professionals for employment due to excellent working conditions. However, success might change if teams are formed for different purposes. For example, research teams working on specific methods of treatment can't be measured on attitudes about working conditions. Additionally, success for an interdisciplinary team working on ways to adhere to regulations is not measured on patient outcomes.
References
Brock, D. A.-R., Abu-Rish, Chiu, C., Hammer, D., Wilson, S., Vorvick, L., . . . Zierler, B. (2013). Republished: interprofessional education in team communication: working together to improve patient safety. Postgraduate medical journal, 89(1057) , 642-651.
Mosch, B.& Mancell, H. (2015). Interprofessional collaboration in health care. Canadian Pharmacists Journal (148)4 , 176-179.
Reeves, S., Perrier, L., Goldman, J., Freeth, D. & Zwarenstein, M. (2013). Interprofessional education: effects on professional practice and healthcare outcomes (update). Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 28 (3), CD002213. doi: 10.1002/14651858.
Weller, J., Boyd, M. & Cumin, D. (2014). Teams, tribes and patient safety: overcoming barriers to effective teamwork in healthcare. Postgraduate medical journal, 90(1061) , 149-154.
