Interdisciplinary Teams – Collaboration (Nursing)

00:00 Welcome back everyone. Although nursing may comprise a large percentage of the overall healthcare work force, successful outcomes of our patients do not depend on this alone. It takes many disciplines to holistically care for our clients. So, it's important that we understand how to effectively work in interdisciplinary teams. An interdisciplinary approach involves team members from different disciplines working collaboratively with a common purpose to set goals, make decisions, and share resources and responsibilities. Now commonly, patients might have a number of different diagnoses and because of that they may have multiple and complex needs. The best possible outcomes for patients are achieved through a consultative, collaborative approach to care that actively involves the patient, their family and caregivers, and an interdisciplinary team. The interdisciplinary approach. It can help avoid risk averse thinking by weighing up the risk against benefits for the patient. It can also improve patient outcomes, healthcare processes, and levels of satisfaction. The opportunity for discussion created by interdisciplinary care planning can be used by the patient, their family and caregivers to develop their ongoing plan.

01:14 Now there are some critical elements to the interdisciplinary team approach. First, leadership.

01:20 Positive leadership in management give clear direction and vision for the team through promoting an atmosphere of trust where contributions are valued and consensus is fostered and also by ensuring that the necessary resources, infrastructure and training are available as well as a mix of skills, competencies, and personalities among the team members. Next, patient center practice. Well integrated and coordinated care that is based on the needs of the patient can contribute to reducing delays, supervision of care, and duplicating assessments. Involving the patient in all aspects of their care really empowers them to speak up and to contribute to decision making.

01:58 Teamwork. An interdisciplinary approach relies on health professionals from different disciplines along with the patient working collaboratively as a team. The most effective teams share responsibilities and promote role interdependencies while respecting individual member's experience and autonomy. And finally communication. Communication across disciplines, care providers, and with the patient and their family or caregivers is essential to setting the goals that most accurately reflect the person's desire and needs. So here is a great example. An interdisciplinary care team is meeting to discuss Mr. Smith and his upcoming discharge tomorrow. The team identified several options for effective therapy following discharge and they meet with Mr. Smith and his family to discuss them. Mr. Smith reviews all of his options, discusses each of them with the team and his wife, and he decides which option may work best for him. Which critical element of effective interdisciplinary collaboration is demonstrated? Would it be a leadership, patient center practice, teamwork, or communication? If you selected patient center practice, that is correct. Mr. Smith was given options and from these options he discussed it with his team and his wife and he arrived at the decision which is best for him. So remember, being aware of the professional roles and responsibilities of other team members, communicating effectively with patients, families, and other healthcare professionals and building relationships to plan, implement, and evaluate safe care all contribute to the health of patients and communities. So when thinking of what we've covered today, I'd like you to consider this question. What are the 4 critical elements of effective interdisciplinary teamwork? They are leadership, patient center practice, teamwork, and communication. So I hope you've enjoyed today's video on Interdisciplinary Teams in Nursing.

04:00 Thank you so much for watching.