I have always known that collaborations among workers are critical in enabling organizations to achieve the set goals. It means that workers work together as a team towards achieving a goal. Notably, this cause has taught me that collaboration is even more useful in health care provision. As O’Daniel and Rosenstein (2008) explained, I have realized that the health care workforce is diverse with professionals of different education and specialties levels. Culture and social aspects contribute to this diversity as they affect how health care professionals provide health care services.
I believe interprofessional collaboration is the best concept in explaining the diverse nature of the health care force that can be turned to the patients’ advantage. Bosch and Mansell (2015) argue that the health care system is increasingly becoming interconnected. Therefore, I agree with the interprofessional collaboration entails health care workers working from a teamwork perspective in improving the patients’ health. In simpler terms, I understand interprofessional collaboration as a situation where health care professionals like surgeons, nurses, and general doctors attend to patients with a similar goal of helping them (the patients) recover. The best example I can use to illustrate my understanding is when a woman is giving birth. This woman will require to be attended by a midwife, nurse, and gynecologist. I believe all these professionals will be working under the common goal of ensuring that the woman delivers safely.
While the concept of interprofessional collaboration is slowly being integrated into the health care system, I appreciate its benefits. I have learned that its main advantage is that it boosts patients’ experience. As Bosch and Mansell (2015) argued, it supports an environment where different health care professionals input their skills and competencies on a singular patient case. I have learned that such an environment reduces the risks of medical errors since a condition undergoes multiple assessments by different practitioners.
References
Bosch, B. & Mansell, H. (2015). Interprofessional Collaboration in Health Care. Canadian Pharmacist Journal, 148(4), 176-179. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177%2F1715163515588106
O’Daniel, M. & Rosenstein, H. A. (2008). Chapter 33: Professional communication and Team Collaboration. In Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. Rockville: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21328739/
