Healthcare collaboration, among professionals, has been a source of important communication in obtaining optimal treatment for patients. By promoting active participation amongst various caregivers, involved in a patient’s care, this helps to enhance desired goals, while promoting continuous communication among caregivers. Determining which type of collaboration to evoke in patient care can be difficult.
There are two main types of collaboration in the aspect of patient care. The first involves communication with one specific type of healthcare providers this is known as intradisciplinary. These teams would include nurse-to-nurse communication or primary care-to-primary care collaboration. …show more content…
The expertise provided by the members allow for confidence by the patient in the care received. It is a way for less experienced professionals to communicate a lack of understanding or uncertainty in certain tasks to proficient staff. This would ensure a reduction in errors in patient care. Communication and collaboration within these teams is limited by their scope of practice.
Interdisciplinary cooperation involves the solving of a common set of problems where “each member’s assessment must take into account the other’s contributions to allow for holistic management” (Hall & Weaver, 2001). Each skill contributed by this team member would complement another’s while assessing, planning and evaluating patient care, (Xryrichis & Ream, 2008). Interdisciplinary teams would involve multiple disciplines such as social workers, dieticians, nutritionists, specialists, internists, and many other types. Every collaborating member with their own set of skills unique to the patient’s …show more content…
Insisting professionals of different backgrounds to understand the role of another, is one skill. Next, members need to allow open communication within meetings or during conferencing of patients’ needs and be respectful of other’s opinions. Another important communication skill is creating a standard workflow for communication and information sharing among team members. This will help to reduce any miscommunication errors and improve patient safety. Correct and accurate documentation is critical in reporting information to another team member. There should be equality amongst all members involved within the continuum of care. Team members must remember while maintaining successful communication, the main goal is the patient.
By empowering nurses to have an active and outspoken role in the decision-making process, helps promote practice partnerships with interdisciplinary and intradisciplinary team members. Empowered nurses involve patient and families into daily activities as well. Family support and involvement would be considered interdisciplinary. Patient empowerment encourages the patients’ self-awareness as they become more involved in their own care. According to Burkhardt & Nathaniel