Inter-Professional Collaboration And Teamwork

Running head: INTERPROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION AND TEAMWORK 1

Inter-Professional Collaboration and Teamwork

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INTERPROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION AND TEAMWORK 2

Inter-Professional Collaboration and Teamwork

The evolution of the world has been accompanied by the desire to deliver satisfactory

services. At least, this has been the goals for various global health sectors. In the attempt to strive

towards the achievement of these goals, the health sectors have had to content with the fact that

desirable health services cannot be effectively achieved but for appropriate inter-professional jig-

saw fit. Delivery of health care encompasses nursing, social workers, doctors, psychologists,

psychiatrists, so on. This paper offers insights on different aspects of inter-professional

collaboration and teamwork in the healthcare sector.

Inter-Professional Collaboration from a Nursing Perspective

Inter-professional collaboration entails interaction of professionals specialized in

different medical fields. The professionals are qualified to apply different tools and concepts to

tackle different nursing problems (Bender, Connelly & Brown, 2013). The interaction of

professionals is usually characterized by different group responsibilities and increased

communication, as final products. The pertinence of inter-professional practice touches safety of

patients, tackling chronic health complications, conducive working environment, improved

primary care, integration of local networks, and improvement of quality of health care (Bender,

Connelly & Brown, 2013). However, it is also subject to different challenges such as lack of

clarity in responsibility of professionals and dilemmas associated with cultural differences.

The Characteristics and Qualities of Effective Inter-Professional Teams in Terms of

Patient Care and Safety

Effective leadership is another quality that defines effective teams. The good team

leaders usually act as role model and motivate other team members, provide effective responses,

and nurture essential communication and leadership skills and resilience, among other qualities

INTERPROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION AND TEAMWORK 3

that desirable (Miers, & Pollard, 2009). Proper leadership exercises high levels of responsibility

by hiring the right and qualified professionals, ensuring that the team goals are shared, and

encouraging communication.

Effective inter-professional teams usually have clear objectives or goals. According to

Miers and Pollard (2009), identification of the team’s main objectives should be a necessity for

any team. The focus should be tailored towards enhancing patient care. By having clear

objectives, inter-professional teams would assure productive work, effective communication.

Effective teams are also marked by proactive communication (Miers, & Pollard, 2009).

Proactive communication is achieved by team members providing vital information, assistance,

and support, and before being asked, making suggestions, providing situational awareness,

updates, and guidance to other team members.

In addition, functional teams are focused on meeting the expectations and priorities of the

clients. For instance, in some procedures, the relatives of the client are considered central,

pointing to the need for the team to address the priorities and needs of the clients and relatives

during meetings (McDonald & McCallin, 2010). Nevertheless, effective teams affirm the

contribution of all members. The team usually relies on regular meetings to enable team

members to share information and learn from the contributions of other members. In this regard,

members are able to nurture proper leadership qualities.

The Benefits and Limitations of Inter-Professional Teams for Health Care Organizations,

Members of a Team, and Patients

Benefits

Inter-professional collaboration empowers team members, as members from different

medical disciplines (nurses, EMTs, radiologists, social workers) are able to share knowledge and

INTERPROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION AND TEAMWORK 4

skills pertaining to patient care and service delivery. Nevertheless, information gaps are also

reduced. Team members meet each other in meetings and other team functions, creating room for

sharing of information or ideas and friendships (Doherty, & Crowley, 2013). As a result, strong

working relationships that are build help in building a proper organization culture.

Moreover, teamwork also enables comprehensive patient care as a more comprehensive

patient care is developed through collaborative working. Members will be able to share their

unique nursing qualities and skills, which can combined to develop a comprehensive patient-

centered care.

Limitations

Ineffective teams can also be breeding grounds for disagreements, competition, and

rivalry due to split loyalties among team members, as well as their own discipline. Teams may

also create multiple responsibilities and compromise productivity of members. Additionally,

collaborative approaches can also lead to mixing of responsibilities. Consequently, the quality of

care may be compromised.

The Challenges of Working in an Inter-Professional Team

It is worth noting that the team experiences different challenges. Some of these

challenges include conflicts between team members, severe disagreements, hatred, among other

issues. The disagreements and conflict emerge in team meetings, in which members hold on to

their stands firmly. However, currently, members are able to put up with each other. The team

leader has been ensuring that members maintain high levels of discipline and integrity in their

endeavors. Members are expected to go through different routines every day. In this regard,

members rely on proper communication to reach out to one another.

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Limited preparation of team members to inter-professional practice may result in

hostilities, cultural incompetence, ethical dilemmas, professional jealousies, lack of observance

of professional boundaries, autonomy threats, and limited knowledge, among other threats

(Doherty, & Crowley, 2013). As such, cultural sensitivity is a key tool in improving healthcare

as it encompasses these. Concerns about improving cultural competence have gained momentum

yet much is still to be desired.

The Strategies that Help People Come Together and Function Effectively As a

Collaborative Team

Meetings are one of the strategies that are widely employed in bringing team members

together to discuss the agenda of the team. Members are able to discuss and consult each other

and build strong relationships. Nevertheless, retreats provide a vital platform for members to

build strong working relationships, solve conflicts, understand each other, and learn how to treat

each other well. Besides, members are also able to share their unique skills and knowledge about

patient care (Petri, 2010). As a result, a culture that shuns unethical practices while promoting

peaceful co-existence is build.

Team members are also trained on acceptable communication strategies. It is worth

noting that globalization has allowed professional to work in any place across the world,

enabling professionals from different cultural backgrounds to work together. Training enables

team members to adopt acceptable language when communication to members forms different

cultures from their own. In addition, sporting activities are also essential in nurturing

collaboration and teamwork.

Inter-Professional Teams’ Definition of Success

INTERPROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION AND TEAMWORK 6

Measurement of a team’s success provides room for the evaluation of the team’s

performance with regard to meeting the set goals. It also provides relevant information to team

leaders to determine if there is need for changes to the team’s plans. In this regard, the success of

a team is measured by the ability to meet the set goals, efficiency in service delivery, client

satisfaction, increased turnout of clients, and organizational productivity and profitability. Gap

analysis and benchmarking are some of the popular strategies of measuring success.

INTERPROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION AND TEAMWORK 7

References

Bender, M., Connelly, C. D., & Brown, C. (2013). Interdisciplinary collaboration: The role of the

clinical nurse leader. Journal of Nursing Management, 21(1), 165-174.

Doherty, R. B., & Crowley, R. A. (2013). Principles supporting dynamic clinical care teams: An

American College of Physicians position paper. Annals of Internal Medicine, 159(9),

620-627

McDonald, C., & McCallin, A. (2010). Interprofessional collaboration in palliative nursing:

What is the patient-family role? International Journal of Palliative Nursing, 16(6), 285-

288.

Miers, M., & Pollard, K. (2009). The role of nurses in interprofessional health and social care

teams. Nursing Management, 15(9), 30-35.

Petri, L. (2010). Concept analysis of interdisciplinary collaboration. Nursing Forum, 45(2), 73-

82.

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