Introduction
Communication is fundamental in medical practice and forms an integral part of healthcare. Those who endeavor to advance effective healthcare cannot neglect communication. In addition, given the serious nature of the healthcare environment’s demands, collaborative communication is crucial (Fowler, 2008). This implies that effective communication means should, therefore, be identified so as to open and maintain clear communication channels within and between disciplines. Intradisciplinary communication may be defined as the communication occurring between professionals within a particular discipline (Basavanthappa, 2011). In this context, this means communication between nurses. Interdisciplinary communication means communication between professionals from different disciplines (Winowiecki, Alkema, Baptista, Comita, King, Lothes et al. 2011,). This implies communication between nurses and physicians. This paper examines how communication and collaboration between intra and interdisciplinary teams impacts on nursing as well as on patient outcomes. In addition, the paper discusses how the patient and the individual nurse fit into intra and interdisciplinary team collaborations in terms of development or empowerment.
Today, healthcare involves a number of interfaces as well as patient handoffs among many healthcare practitioners who have varying educational levels and occupational training. For example, a patient may interact with more than 50 employees such as nurses, technicians, physicians and others, all of whom must communicate between themselves for achievement of desired patient outcomes. Lack of communication opens the health care process to medical errors which have the potential to cause harm. In today’s healthcare systems, lack of proper communication has proved to be a pervasive problem. It is usually the root cause of medication errors, wrong-site surgeries, and delays in treatment.
Ideally, intra and interdisciplinary communication in healthcare should always be present in all institutions. However, there are barriers to communication. Most healthcare professionals prefer to work autonomously. Even though they might belong to a team, these healthcare professionals may find barriers to communication and collaboration because of poor social, organizational and relational structures. Culture, language (Pringle, 2005)
There are different ways through which intra and interdisciplinary communication can be enhanced in the healthcare sector. One of the means through which this can be done is through recordkeeping documentation (Mandeville, Tschannen, Yakel & Keenan, 2005). This facilitates the flow of information to support the quality, continuity and safety of health care. Record keeping systems serve various purposes such as fulfilling legal requirements; accountability; financial billing and accreditation. For the patient, when there is effective intra and interdisciplinary communication through record-keeping, it is possible to follow written records indicating health progress as well as financial billing. The patient or their family members are able to plan accordingly.
Another means through which various professionals in healthcare can communicate is through face-to-face verbal communication. This can be in a formal or informal setting. Two or more healthcare professionals may engage in intra or interdisciplinary communication regarding a patient’s health status or course of action. The professionals may also involve the patient or their representatives in a collaborative effort seeking to inform their decision. This enables the healthcare professionals to obtain a better perspective than would be the case if one of them were acting autonomously. Such communication would also eliminate medical mistakes and delays (Rosenstein & Daniel, 2005).
There are various benefits associated with collaborative communication within the healthcare field. Through a collaborative effort, medical professionals are able to define problems better and to decide on goals. This is because through an exchange of ideas, they can obtain the best perception on the problem. Collaboration also enables easier and faster gathering of information regarding problems. Intradisciplinary communication and collaboration enables the different approaches informed from different disciplines to coalesce towards solving a common problem. Conflict management is also done more effectively through different approaches and perceptions.
There are various strategies for enhancing communication and collaboration in healthcare. A culture of intra and interdisciplinary communication can be cultivated in different ways. For example, creating several opportunities for professionals to interact is one of the approaches. This can be achieved by encouraging collaborative rounds, open dialogue and creating intra and interdisciplinary task forces to discuss common problems. Another way is by developing and implementing standards, procedures and policies. These are stipulations that guide communication and engagements between medical professionals in the medical field.
Conclusion
Communication is an integral part of healthcare. For medical professionals to be effective in their work; to avoid delays and medical mistakes, they should engage in both intra and interdisciplinary communication. Intradisciplinary communication involves professionals within the same discipline while interdisciplinary communication involves professionals from different disciplines or occupational training. Patients can benefit immensely from effective and collaborative communication in the healthcare environment. This is because effective communication ensures that medical services are not delayed. Delayed medical services may have severe implications on the health of the patient. Additionally, communication reduces the likelihood of medical mistakes such as wrong medication or wrong site surgeries. Collaborative communication in healthcare environment is, therefore, a necessity and should be adopted in all healthcare institutions. This may be done by cultivating the culture of collaboration, open dialogue, creating intra and interdisciplinary task forces as well as adopting standards and policies that favor collaborative communication.
References
Basavanthappa, B. (2011). Essentials of Mental Health Nursing. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Pub.
Fowler, M. D. (2008). Guide to the code of ethics for nurses: interpretation and application. Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Association.
Mandeville, M., Tschannen,, D., Yakel, E., & Keenan, G. M. (2005). Documentation and the Nurse Care Planning Process . Documentation and the Care Planning Process, 23(2), 5.
Pringle, D. (2005, January 1). Interdisciplinary and Intradisciplinary Nursing Education. Nursing Leadership. Retrieved April 23, 2013, from www.longwoods.com/content/17176
Rosenstein, A. H., & Daniel,, M. O. (2005). Professional Communication and Team Collaboration . Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses, 20(3), 5.
Winowiecki, L., Alkema, L., Baptista, S., Comita, L., King, E., Lothes, E., et al. (2011). http://sspp.proquest.com/archives/vol7iss1/communityessay.winowiecki.html. Sustainability, Science, practice and Policy. Retrieved April 24, 2013, from sspp.proquest.com/archives/vol7iss1/communityessay.winowiecki.htm
