COMMENTS FROM SUPPORT:Please revise the last section. The 1st sentence is not clear at all. Subsequent sentences also have issues. Ensure you also address the Definition of Success in Inter-Professional Teams

Inter-Professional Collaboration and Teamwork

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Inter-Professional Collaboration and Teamwork

Definition of Inter-Professional Collaboration from A Nursing Perspective

Inter-professional collaboration entails a number of health workers from different healthcare and nursing professions working together to deliver the best outcomes when it comes to health care. In this case, they collaborate with patients, caregivers, and the entire community (Bender, Connelly, & Brown, 2013). Inter-professional collaboration can also be defined as the partnership between patients and healthcare givers that is meant to ensure the patient gets a better healthcare (McDonald, & McCallin, 2010). Apparently, this terminology has become more prominent in healthcare since it is an updated version of terms that were used earlier in the health sector such as cross-disciplinary.

Characteristics and Qualities of Effective’s Inter-Professional Team in Terms of Patient Care Safety

Lately, Inter-professional collaboration and team work has been receiving much attention supported by practices and policies that ensure healthcare delivery is closer to the patient. In the process, it helps to challenge traditional professional boundaries. The common characteristics of inter-professional collaboration in nursing revolve around the following; first, the health care provider offers patient care to the same patient groups (Bender, Connelly, & Brown, 2013). Second, the nurse practitioner establishes a common patient purpose and works towards realizing this purpose, Third, the team is also guided by information mechanisms that facilitate effective sharing of information (Bender, Connelly, & Brown, 2013).

To be effective, the inter-professional collaboration team members are always expected to remain focused on what the patient requires. The members also have to understand their roles and respect and appreciate the role played by other healthcare professionals involved in the collaboration. Inter-professional collaboration team members should also be ready to work both within and outside their professional setting (McDonald, & McCallin, 2010). Additionally, it is accepted within the nursing fraternity that each member should be willing to contribute their own idea in order to make the collaboration effective. Individualism is highly discouraged in inter-professional collaboration since it can undermine the overall objective of teamwork

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Inter-Professional Teams for Health Provider’s Organizations, Team Members, and Patients

Inter-professional collaboration establishes an environment for professional nurses to share their ideas and views and learn in an environment that is comfortable (Miers, & Pollard, 2009). Additionally, Inter-professional collaboration improves healthcare delivery since it helps to improve the general interaction that exists between health professionals and in so doing; it helps to create a good healthcare practice. However, as much as inter-professional collaboration has improves healthcare practice, it increases demand on clinical staff and the academic requirements in healthcare practice (Bender, Connelly, & Brown, 2013). Another drawback of Inter-professional collaboration is that it is very challenging to implement logistically within a healthcare institution that is already functioning full-time. Furthermore, when it comes to patients, it becomes very challenging for them to recognize the professional that is taking care of them in case of future referrals.

Challenges of Working in Inter-Professional Team

There is always an issue of split loyalties between individuals discipline and the team hence making it a challenge for individuals to cooperate without incurring few setbacks. Additionally, inter-professional collaboration requires full group participation which in most cases may not always be available (Miers, & Pollard, 2009). On some occasions, discussion-based working may not be the best alternative for members in collaboration. This is because some of the elements required in inter-professional participation may not be in line with the highly-held values and norms within a certain healthcare profession. Moreover, a nurse practitioner may be collaborating with a group that is not made up of appropriate professionals. In so doing, this can lead to lack of commitment from the participating professionals. Furthermore, there could also arise challenges associated with conflict regarding the relationships of the nurse practitioners to the patient.

Strategies of Making an Effective Collaboration Team

Learning and getting to know about other healthcare professions is an important obligation in collaboration (Miers, & Pollard, 2009). Apparently, so many nursing and healthcare professionals are very uninterested in other nursing professions because of lack of teamwork and collaboration during their education and professional learning. Therefore, it is important to comprehend the role played by other healthcare professionals including their areas of achievements, background of education including their limitations (Bender, Connelly, & Brown, 2013). In essence, collaboration in nursing care needs a continuous overlap of competencies hence making it important for each nursing healthcare provider to be equipped with the necessary knowledge of the abilities and skills of the other members they are collaborating with. In so doing, the collaboration team will also learn how to incorporate the patient in care giving hence improving the overall functioning of the collaboration team.

Definition of Success in Inter-Professional Teams

The success of a collaboration team when from a clear understanding and comprehension of other individual’s abilities, weaknesses, and competencies follows the basis for respect which in this case is one of the proven measures of success of a collaborative team (Miers, & Pollard, 2009). In other words, the need to create a good working trust and respect of other members of the team is born out of the central characteristics of collaboration (Bender, Connelly, & Brown, 2013). In other words, there is no particular individual who is in charge for all aspects of the patient care. As a result, the moment other team members are full of confidence that any other members of the team can be able to compete their tasks and responsibilities effectively, that’s when the team can be said to be a success.

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.

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.