Delivery Of Inter-Professional Care And Teamwork

The issues related to the delivery of inter-professional care and teamwork in healthcare.

Introduction

"With the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, advancements in health care technology, and growing complexity of health care delivery, the need for coordination and integration of clinical care through a multidisciplinary approach has become essential."1 Interprofessional education (IPE) and teamwork involves interaction and knowledge-sharing between professionals from different disciplines which can facilitate the problem-solving needed to meet the complex needs of the patient safely and efficiently.2 Healthcare is predominantly provided by teams – typically includes a lead clinician, such as a physician, and other key personnel including

They use the most up-to-date public health and scientific research on food, health, and disease which they translate into practical guidance to enable people to make appropriate lifestyle and food choices."15 A dietitian has many roles in the treatment of patients i.e. assessing eating patterns and behaviors, meal planning, calculating BMI, setting a target healthy weight range and supporting the patient through his/her treatment. The dietitian must interact with different healthcare professionals throughout their career e.g. physicians, pharmacists and psychologists in order to provide high-quality service. A dietitian must interact with the physician by finding out information about the patient. For example, if the patient has an eating disorder the dietitian will be informed by the physician of the type of eating disorder and the severity of the eating disorder and from this interaction the dietitian can begin their role in the treatment of the patient. However, dietitians may face difficulties with different healthcare professionals. The dietitian interacts with a pharmacist to discover the type of medication the patient is taking as this has an influence on the dietary plan that the dietitian will set for the patients, in order to prevent any adverse interactions with food and medication. The

Miscommunication between the pharmacist and other healthcare providers can, in fact, have serious consequences on patient safety. For example, in a case study of local pharmaceutical services (LPS) pilots and interprofessional collaboration "the GP expressed concern about the future of the pilot if the existing pharmacist were to leave, suggesting that it would be difficult to work collaboratively with a pharmacist not as well known to him. This highlights the importance of trust between the two professions. GPs raised this issue and indicated that it takes time to build trust and confidence."16 GP concerns about confidentiality and information sharing with pharmacists were also mentioned as a barrier to gaining access. However, good teamwork and IP care delivery leads to enhanced service provision and can be achieved through regular face-to-face contact between healthcare professionals.16 During these meetings, all members should identify potential learning strategies related to the team's educational goal and opportunities to demonstrate improvements in care and/or health. It's also critical to provide feedback and discuss medication reviews and any current medical trends such as smoking cessation or