Teamwork and communication are very important in providing good quality care, especially in the healthcare field. A team is described as a group of people that works together and cooperatively, between each member of the group to reach a common goal (Sullivan, 2013). For a team to function, communication is essential. A report by McKay and Crippen (2008), as stated by Alfaro-LeFevre, (2013) showed that when collaboration is in place, hospitals can decrease their mortality rate by 41%. When mortality rate is lower, hospitals does not only decreased cost, but it also means that patients are receiving good quality care. In the hospital, a team includes a CEO, managers, supervisors, charge nurses, medical doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, social workers and maintenance crews; it can also include many other members. In addition, a well-functioning team is led by a good leader; a leader does not necessary mean the CEO, but someone who is driven, knowledgeable, and a good communicator. Charge nurse and nurses are normally the one that handles the care of patients in the hospital. Both charge nurses and nurses can be considered leaders. It is why, it is very crucial that nurses are good communicators. One would say that nurses are the spoke person of a hospital to its patients. The nurses care for their patient closely, they communicate with the doctors regarding the care of the patient; they communicate with the pharmacies, nursing assistant, colleagues, and many more. Those
Teamwork and collaboration with other healthcare providers is very important. To function effectively there needs to be mutual respect, open communication, and shared decision making in the best interest of the patient. As a member of a team it is vital to know ones own strengths and limitations, this way patients receive the best care.
Effective communication is essential for a nurse in a leadership position. If a nurse is not able to convey or transfer pertinent information to other team members or clients, conflict or problems can arise. A nurse is able to effectively communicate through creating synergy, establishing a purpose or goal, actively listening, being truthful, and being responsible. When a nurse leader is able to successfully communicate, patient safety increases and medical errors decrease which leads to a higher percentage of positive patient outcomes. Effective communication fosters positive nurse-patient and nurse-team member relationships.
In the beginning of this activity, I did not know much about collaboration between different healthcare professionals. It helped me to clarify the meaning of a healthcare team and also to understand the role of different professionals in the team. Different team members have their specific roles and all of them work together to achieve a common goal –healthier patient. They work independently, but when it comes to decision making they seek advice from other healthcare provider in order to do the best for the patient. Not only doctor, physiotherapists, pharmacists and etc. are considered being part of the team. Patients must also be considered part of the decision making process,
The Health Care System 's purpose is to meet the physical and mental health needs of the communities in which they serve, these systems operate using people working within heal care facilities as well as other health delivery resources. One group of individual that help with facility operations are nursing administrators. Nursing Administrators contribute in managing along with directing the nursing care delivery system. Their leadership style, characteristics, communication strategies, including the way that they negotiate as well as manage conflicts can determine the quality of the healthcare services treat the facility provide as well as help to develop a set of guidelines to standardize the type and quality of the nursing services. (Cipriano, 2011) Together the Nurse Mangers work toward the same goals along with guiding nurses in their practice and contribute to the facilities successes. (Frankel, 2011) The nursing leaders are advocates who directly affect the quality of the nursing care along with also having a positive impact on healthcare through leadership.
Successful teamwork and collaboration directly affects the efficacy of interdisciplinary communication. When effective communication is achieved within the healthcare team, this increases the amount of positive patient outcomes. Nurses and physicians must cooperate in order to attain a synergetic relationship. Their roles are integral to creating a safe environment for their patients. When all of these elements combine, the quality of care improves and collegial relationships are strengthened.
Courtenay, Nancarrow, and Dawson (2013) reviewed numerous articles that studied the effect of teamwork education (communication, cooperation, etc.) on the time and outcome of care. Courtenay et al. (2013) found that effective teamwork decreased the time necessary for critical treatments or surgery and also reduced the number of errors made. Courtenay et al. (2013) write that teams performed well when the responsibilities and role of each team member was known. Courtenay et al. (2013) also state that good teams shared an overall sense of mutual responsibility of the outcome of the patient.
Effective communication among professionals from different disciples is key area to care coordination (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, 2007) however; Communication involves a variety of strategies and purposes (Kripalani et al, 2007). In an interprofessional collaboration, different professional groups work mutually as a team to develop a positive impact on health care. As said by Zwarenstein, Goldman & Reeves (2009) collaborative working is improved because of an agreement between different professionals through communication. Good communication is vital as It enables health care professionals to build relationships
The efficiency of the team model is dependent on effective communication. Poor communication among the team members can place both team members and patients at risk. In addition, the doctors or other health providers may prefer to communicate with the charge nurse, which can lead to a breakdown of communication and subsequently influence patient care. To ensure open and effective communication, phones will be provided to staff for communication among and between team members and charge nurse. Non-urgent patient communication will be written on a team specific communication board.
"Results of this study point to the need to enhance nursing teamwork on patient care units. If nursing staff are not satisfied, like workers in general, they will be more likely to leave their position/occupation and/or to have a lower level of productivity. Moreover, increased teamwork would lead to safer and higher quality of care."
In nursing profession, communication is one of the vital interprofessional collaboration competencies. A slack in communication gap will affect effective teamwork in providing efficient patient care delivery. Without integrated cooperation and effective communication, there will be a delinquency in the healthcare system, resulting in
The fundamentals to providing quality patient care is teamwork and effective communication. According to O’Daniel and Rosenstein (2008), the components that are needed for successful teamwork as follows :
Teamwork is vital in healthcare. When all participants are engaged in a program, goals are successfully achieved. Being able to communicate and work collectively as a team requires an appreciation for each other’s area of practice. Every team member has an important role and being acknowledged provides a sense of responsibility and accountability. Essentially, inter-professional collaboration helps ensure that the patient is getting care that is not only accessible but also comprehensive. The plan of a patients’ care includes active participation by all health care professionals working interdependently in accordance to the patient’s preferences, values and beliefs. The health care team accomplishes the goal of meeting the patient’s medical needs by delivering evidence-based practice. To deliver quality care, the patient should always be involved.
Nurses are known as the heart of health care. Being a nurse is a demanding job that requires commitment, but does not lack rewards. A fact stated by the American Association of Colleges of Nurses claims that “Nurses comprise the largest single component of hospital staff, are the primary providers of hospital patient care, and deliver most of the nation 's long-term care” (“Nursing Fact Sheet”). With many roles throughout the healthcare system as a whole, nurses are a large, very important role that interacts with every other part of the health care system. They have great qualities that not everyone has. They are highly compassionate, caring, professional, diligent and understanding individuals. A nurse experiences people at their worst and still care for patients in a way that no one else would. All these honest points prove that nurses are the most important members of the health care system because, nurses spend the most time with patients, nurses are the managers of patient care; they are teachers and are great with conflict resolution.
Teams working in a hospital or other healthcare setting may consist of several physicians, nurses, medical assistants, referral coordinators, pharmacists, therapists, and students among others. Such large teams can provide comprehensive care for complex and chronic illnesses, but when they fail to work well together, they
An effective care for patients can be achieved through the collaboration and team work within the certain health care teams to provide a focused and shared learning in health professional education, which can help enhance the outcome of the patient’s needs.1 Working with different professionals and care givers can lead to issues. This can be looked upon so that the patient is given good service and enhanced care.