Interprofessional Collaboration

In almost any capacity the demands of life can be both hectic and challenging. In light of this, the processes by which life is lived, shared and nurtured must involve organization, effective communication, and collaboration. This simple concept is true of life on almost any level but it is especially true when concerning healthcare. As such, it is important to look at the effectiveness of communication and collaboration within the health care system. This consideration is important because effective communication and collaboration within the health care system has a direct correlation and obvious potential impact on the quality of care provided to the patient. The College of Nurses of Ontario defines interprofessional collaboration as “working
Research has shown that ineffective communication between physicians and nurses can result in missed or delayed diagnosis, unnecessary or repeated testing and over prescribing of medications (Espetin, 2010). It has also been shown that poor communication between team members can have a negative effect on patients in ways of psychosocial experiences. This occurs when patients are confronted with information depending on the nature and quality of information that is transmitted to them and can also affects the enactment and outcome of the decision making process regarding treatment opinions (Thorne, Bultz & Baile, 2005). As a result, patients are often dissatisfied with the amount of knowledge they receive from medical professionals and they, in turn, express that this is an area requiring improvement (Conn, Lingard, Reeves, Miller, Russell & Zwarenstein, 2010). As noted above, poor communication between team members often results in negative outcomes not only for the team itself but also for the patients. Because communication plays a vital role in effective collaboration, healthcare providers must address potential breakdowns so as to ensure productive dialogue and to create troubleshooting strategies. The College of Nurses of Ontario website states that communication is how nurses establish and maintain their therapeutic relationships by building trust, empathy and receptivity (CNO, 2006). This information is also applied to interprofessional collaboration. Effective communication strategies which strengthen nurse-patient relationships can also strengthen nurse – physician relationships. Since communication occurs both verbally and non-verbally, it is important to be aware of the many ways through which one communicates and to understand the fundamental role communication plays in patient care (CNO,