Interprofessional Collaboration and Teamwork Writing Assignment (Essay Sample)

Title
Student’s Name
Institution
Interprofessional Collaboration and Teamwork
Interprofessional Collaboration
Roschelle and Teasley (1995) define collaboration as where different individuals negotiate and exchange meanings related to a common problem. Collaboration entails more than mere teamwork where a collaborative problem-solving approach enables for a construction of a shared conceptual structure. This structure supports the interpretation of goals, features, operators and methods that support the collaborative problem-solving activity Roschelle and Teasley (1995). Interprofessional collaboration, therefore, refers to the interactions of individuals from various professions which promote learning between and with each other with an aim of improving the understanding and quality of care (Clark, 2006). From a clinical perspective, interprofessional collaboration refers to the interaction and relationship between discipline-specific clinicians with an aim of improving patient and family-centred care to improve quality delivery. The discipline-specific clinicians include physicians, pharmacists, nurses, social workers, chaplains, occupational therapists, nutritionists, and physical therapists (Ponte et al., 2010).
Defining Success
The interprofessional collaboration aims at achieving the following aims: effective safe care by the interprofessional teams, improved experience, care and perceptions by the patients and family members as well as improvement in the shared knowledge amongst the interdisciplinary teams through effective collaboration, teamwork, and training. Achieving the above team objectives defines the success of the interdisciplinary teams. According to Levi (2017), meeting set objectives, effective idea sharing, increased respect among the individuals and teams as well as an organizational commitment for professional development promote success in a team.
Characteristics and Qualities of Effective Interprofessional Teams
Literature reference from various researchers indicates different qualities for effective interprofessional teams that aim at improving the safety of the patients. Some include:
Effective interdisciplinary Leadership:
Pratt et al. (2007) describe the role of the triad leadership model (physician, nurse, and administrator) in ensuring efficient team collaboration, patient care and safety. Further, studies by Richardson and Storr (2010) shows improved patient safety, interdisciplinary working as well as empowerment as a result of effective interdisciplinary leadership.
Collaboration and Partnership:
Appropriate models for implementing inter-professional leadership and learning facilitate improvement in the quality of care and safety of patients. A research by Dietrich and colleagues (2010), for instance, indicated improvement in the effectiveness of the interprofessional teams with the introduction of structured interdisciplinary rounds that ensured communication methods were maintained in a control unit while interdisciplinary rounds were implemented by the intervention unit.
Teamwork
Effective interprofessional teams exhibits and practices impeccable teamwork skills to facilitate improved patient care. According to Manser (2009), teamwork has facilitated success in high-risk medical care such as ICUs, emergency and operating rooms.
Continuous Training and collaboration
Effective interprofessional teams engage and promote continuous interdisciplinary collaboration to ensure better understanding and implementation of patient care Petri (2010). The continuous training and collaboration between the interdisciplinary teams ensure expertise knowledge is shared thus ensuring improved patient care.
Benefits and Limitations of Interprofessional Teams
Benefits
* Team members engaged in interprofessional teams benefit a lot from the expertise of each other. This expertise also improves patient care and safety with the provision of topnotch medical care services.
* Delicate and complex medical procedures are handled successfully with the help of shared knowledge and platform.
* Healthcare organizations benefit from the interdisciplinary role in improving collaboration, transparency to avoid duplicating roles, improved partnering as well as improved accountability and oversight of clinical services (Ponte et al. 2010).
* Improved communication between individuals and teams in the healthcare organizations thus improving service delivery to the patients.
* Increased interdisciplinary collaboration and teamwork ensure improved staff satisfaction as well as reduced staff turnover (Ponte et al. 2010).
* Healthcare organizations also benefit through reduction of medical errors, decrease in costs as well as improved safety culture (Ponte et al. 2010).
Limitations
* Poor interdisciplinary leadership leads to reduced morale thus threatens teamwork and collaboration. All the above benefits may fail if the individual team members fail to adhere to the collaboration and teamwork spirit.
* Communication breakdown between the individuals and teams put the safety and lives of the patients at stake.
The Challenges of Working in Interprofessional Teams
* Individual motivation and productivity are likely to drop especially if individual goals and objectives are not clearly set.
* Communication breakdown especially in large teams that may result in a team failure.
* Internal wrangles and disagreements between team members are likely to disintegrate the team thus resulting in the failure if the team to deliver.
Strategies for an Effective Team
According to Blais & Hayes (2016), successful teams share common strategies such as:
* Communication and Cohesion: Effective communication between team members encourages team cohesion. Team objectives such as training are therefore easily met.
* Efficient Leadership: Efficient interdisciplinary leadership allows the team to foc...