Interprofessional Healthcare Team

Although healthcare organizations often indicate that it is a simple request to have healthcare professionals such as family physicians, midwives, obstetricians and nurses, work together, it cannot be assumed that these professionals have been prepared with the competencies (knowledge, skills and judgement) to collaborate and the necessary attributes to effectively work together (Pfaff, Baxter, Jack & Ploeg, 2014). The identification of healthcare providers who will work effectively in an interprofessional healthcare team prior to the team being assembled is an essential component towards the achievement of high-functioning teams in the future. From a health systems sustainability perspective, interprofessional teams working with low-risk obstetrical populations and other populations, may help to reduce delays and eliminate duplication thus, having a potential reduction in healthcare costs (Tomblin Murphy, Alder, Birch, Tomblin & Purkis, 2009; Tomblin Murphy, Alder, MacKenzie & Rigby, 2010). By having healthcare providers work in interprofessional teams there is an opportunity for enhanced breadth of …show more content…
In order to enhance collaboration, transformation must occur at many different levels. Making changes such as the implementation of collaborative practice models is not easy; hence the facilitator of collaborative change must know how to build collaborative practice. This would include encouragement of open dialogue, shared visioning and collective planning all based on evidence around which team members know what to do and when (Van der Kink & Boon, 2002; MCP2, 2006; Verma et al.,