Teamwork in Healthcare Services

Study Notes

Healthcare teams aim for a common goal, where every individual is crucial.
Teams include patients, family, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and insurance companies.
Effective teamwork requires clear communication, shared understanding of care, respect, teamwork, and leadership skills.
Teamwork leads to numerous benefits, including increased productivity, quick decision-making, better knowledge acquisition, higher motivation, greater job satisfaction, faster service delivery, and enhanced creativity.

There are four main types of healthcare teams: intradisciplinary, multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary.

Members work within the same discipline (e.g., physical therapists).
Other disciplines aren't involved in the process.
While effective as a team within the same discipline, they are not as effective overall compared to other types.

Team members work separately and independently within their respective disciplines initially.
Often there are disagreements or conflicts amongst members and lack of communication in complex cases.
Success depends on individual members and their respective communication.

Members from different disciplines work together, setting goals, and share information to understand one another’s roles for optimal patient care.
Team members take active roles in decisions.
Assessments and interventions are done independently, but team members share information and support each other.
This type of team is seen as being efficient and successful.

Professionals from diverse disciplines work cohesively for a common goal, merging their expertise to better serve the needs of the patient, and transcend disciplinary boundaries.
Members demonstrate their knowledge and expertise to identify the best ideas and approach to the given problems.
The process is a collaborative effort to achieve a solution.