Human nature has been defined by mutually dependent reliance on others, or as the saying goes, no one man is an island. It is an important reminder that we all need each other to thrive properly, and the reality is that many people do constantly feel the winds of loneliness when it comes to working alone in the healthcare industry, which is marked by ever-more complex issues. In fact, studies have shown that student nurses do wish there were more collaborative, interdisciplinary, and interprofessional focuses in their practices across healthcare settings.
Healthcare should not be barred from interdisciplinary practice; really, there should be more of it. Of course, this is not to say there is not any, as there has been a rise in its promotion in recent years; nurses seeking to enter the industry with strong teamwork and clinical skills, for example, often turn to an online ABSN program, preparing them to contribute effectively in the contemporary interdisciplinary healthcare setting. Let’s look at how the interdisciplinary team strengthens not only health outcomes but also how this benefits healthcare workers as well, whether you are already or planning to become one.
The interdisciplinary team – What is it?
Per its name, an interdisciplinary team is a group of professionals from all kinds of disciplines, areas, domains, or specializations who work collaboratively and interconnectedly towards a common goal, objective, or project. Often, they are confused with multidisciplinary teams, which differ in terms of how multidisciplinary teams more or less maintain a distance towards that goal, objective, or project, actively staying within the boundaries rather than actively participating and contributing towards their realization. In the context of healthcare and the healthcare setting, the interdisciplinary team complements one another’s expertise and specialization to actively coordinate in the process of treatment. The team can be comprised of just a few practitioners or a whole group represented by many different disciplines and domains, which is much dependent on the intensity of treatment. It can include any mix of the following:
- Nurse practitioner
- Nursing partner
- Primary care physician
- Physician assistant
- Common specialist practitioners:
- Cardiologist – focuses on the heart
- Neurologist – focuses on the brain, spinal cord, and nerves
- Pulmonologist – focuses on the respiratory system
- Oncologist – focuses on cancers
- Orthopedist – focuses on muscles, bones, joints, ligaments, and tendons
- Occupational therapist
- Physical therapist
- Dietician
- Home caregiver
- Psychologicst
- Psychiatrist
- Social worker
With an aging population, increased specialization in contemporary healthcare, the complexification of diseases, and a growing body of medical knowledge, interdisciplinary teams in clinical healthcare practices become more important than ever. Patients today have far more multifaceted health issues, which require treatment from multiple healthcare providers, so having these interdisciplinary teams can be an important way to ensure a form of continuity, consistency, and cohesiveness in care. But there are also many other ways (or hows) in which interdisciplinary teams have been changing health outcomes for modern patient care.
Better care processes
Every medical professional working from their respective discipline or area has a different perspective and approach towards care. Having this amalgam of different voices and views, each practitioner can provide valuable insights that others may not have considered. For example, if a physician, cardiologist, endocrinologist (those who treat people with conditions caused by the endocrine glands and hormones, e.g., diabetes, thyroid disorders, etc.), and another team of nurses work together to treat a patient, each practitioner can have the level of discernment to notice symptoms that are particular to their disciplinary specialization. A 2024 study has already shown that interdisciplinary teams have a significant positive impact in treating chronically ill patients (who need these teams the most) while enhancing factors such as self-management and general health outcomes.
Streamlining and personalizing treatment
Naturally, the more people one has, the easier the work is, and the less stressful it is for everyone. Effective treatment coordination between teams can dramatically reduce wait times, which are all too common in causing stalled treatment and patient frustration. The advantage of interdisciplinary teams is that they allow a space for more streamlined and specialised workflows that utilize resources more effectively and efficiently in the care process. With that, however, it also means more personalized treatment/care plans for patients. Every patient has unique needs that require a tailored approach; under an interdisciplinary framework, everyone is working together to develop comprehensive treatment plans that see the patient in a holistic manner, targeting and assessing the medical, psychological, and social factors influencing them. This precise perspective ensures patients are not only receiving adequate medical treatment and care, but the fundamental emotional and social support throughout it as well. Research has already found that emotional support, which comprises warmth, kindness, empathy, deep listening, and social connection, can be equally important for patient care as medical treatment.
Operational efficiency
If a practitioner is working independently, it directly increases the possibilities of miscommunication and medical errors, which then increases the risk to patient safety. This can include duplicated assessment appointments or even giving the wrong drug, which can result in adverse reactions. The more people there are, the more accountability and double-checking, triple-checking, and quadruple-checking there is, which means a reduction of avoidable medical errors, a critical yet fundamental benefit of this framework. Moreover, with more people, referrals, test results, and all the other information that comes with treatment, patients can receive more quickly through lines of communication. These benefits all healthcare institutions, patients, and practitioners; hospitals can admit more new patients quickly, patients can enjoy quicker care, and practitioners can have a more manageable workload than before.
Enhanced communications
Interdisciplinary care allows for direct access to the patient’s entire care team, which removes the middleman while saving time and mitigating barriers that cause misunderstandings. Each team member has their own unique set of knowledge, skills, and approaches to which they need to convey the specialized data about the patient to other members; constant correspondence and various other verbal and non-verbal skills flourish within interdisciplinary teams. Practitioners can develop trust to share information seamlessly, reduce errors, as well as eliminate the key gaps in delivering quality care, moving towards a shared purpose and goal.
Better overall outcomes and morale
Combining all of these factors results in better patient care and a higher quality of life for patients, but, most importantly, it leads to a higher rate of job satisfaction and a sense of achievement for current and future practitioners like you. As interdisciplinary teams place particular emphasis on collaboration, you and others focus on acknowledging and recognizing each member’s contributions, knowledge, and expertise. Everyone can feel valued, which can greatly boost engagement and the desire to contribute. And it can empower the patient, too, who should also always be encouraged to get involved in treatment decision-making; they need to feel valued as well.
DISCLAIMER – “Views Expressed Disclaimer – The information provided in this content is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, legal, tax, or health advice, nor relied upon as a substitute for professional guidance tailored to your personal circumstances. The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of any other individual, organization, agency, employer, or company, including NEO CYMED PUBLISHING LIMITED (operating under the name Cyprus-Mail).
