interprofessional-teamwork

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, FAAN

“It is no longer enough for health workers to be professional. In the current global climate, health workers also need to be interprofessional.” World Health Organization 2010

The ability to effectively work on an interdisciplinary team is a major focus today in the education of future health care professions in all disciplines. Recently, one of my students began a major change project in her organization to improve interprofessional teamwork through bedside team rounding. Her process was well thought out, and the patients really appreciated having all the team members together to discuss their care. She was sure that customer service scores would improve over time. Then without notice or discussion, the rounds were discontinued because team members complained that it interfered with the pace of their work. In listening to my student’s frustration, I was reminded about why interdisciplinary teamwork is often very challenging in practice environments. Five key lessons I learned overtime observing IPE efforts included the following:

* Interdisciplinary Teamwork Needs to be Clearly Defined as a Professional Expectation

A team is sometimes described as a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose and goals. On interdisciplinary teams, decisions are reached collectively by the group. It is this collective decision making that makes the interdisciplinary team different than a multidisciplinary team where there is more parallel play and one person usually makes the treatment decisions. The concept of everyone being involved and participating is key to effective interdisciplinary work. IPE is something that professionals cannot be allowed to opt out of – because if they are allowed to do this – some will.

* Acknowledge the Unique Culture, Language and Mental Model in each Discipline

Each discipline has a unique culture, language and also a mental model in how they approach patient situations. This needs to be respected and listened to. If staff feel that one discipline is dominating the discussion – they will feel devalued in their work.

* Defining a Common Goal is a Critical Success Factor

Teams can sometimes assume they are working on a common goal without defining it. I am not sure that my student did this effectively – these rounds were being implemented to improve what patients perceived as a disconnect in the care they received from different team members.

* Don’t Assume Professionals Understand the Work of Other Disciplines

A key success factor in interdisciplinary teamwork is an understanding of the unique knowledge, skills and abilities that each discipline brings to the team. Professional are often surprised about the knowledge and clinical abilities of other disciplines. This respect may not happen initially but does grow over time.

* Spend Time Discussing the Benefits of Interdisciplinary Teamwork

We can sometimes assume that professionals will see the value in interdisciplinary teamwork without being explicit about the benefits. We needed to help professionals see the value in collective knowledge and talents. This is important because finding the time to arrange for interdisciplinary meetings can be daunting in health care environments as my student learned. Interdisciplinary teamwork is an important component in reducing health care costs, promoting patient safety through more effective communication and can help reduce workload through shared responsibility.

Historically, we have not taken the time to require disciplines to work together on a regular basis in practice settings. It is not surprising that we see the communication breakdowns that are common in today’s health care settings. Teamwork takes practice and these efforts need the ongoing support of leaders who recognize that is a huge cultural shift.

Read to Lead

IPEC Expert Panel. (May 2011). IPE Core Competencies