How can you ensure your interprofessional interventions are effective?

As health systems mature the scope of practice may evolve for different health professionals. For example, different professionals such as pharmacists and nurses can prescribe or administer immunisations. Therefore, overlapping roles and responsibilities may occur. Paying attention to a joined-up approach to care, principles of effective teamwork and teaming become more critical.

In my clinical experience, I have learnt a very simple and useful principle which I had practiced as well. "Health clinics don't have any place for "Ego". Keep it outside and enter"! This is something patients have taught me. They value treatment expertise from health care professionals. So, to provide them the best care possible, one has to understand their own boundaries and limitations and let other professions display their expertise. At the end of the day, what will matter is whether the patient has received the best treatment possible and not "Which doctor did what and how much!" Treatment protocol in healthcare industry is a result of "Collaboration" between industry experts and not "Competition" between them!

One of the biggest factors leading to physician burnout is lack of subsidiarity in healthcare. Bedside providers have a unique perspective and firsthand insight into the successes and failures of changes implemented by non-clinical administration. The voices of physicians, nurses, and other bedside providers are invaluable to advancing healthcare, improving patient safety, and driving value-based care.

One thing I've found helpful is to have an easy "dialogue" and not a "monologue" or giving away directives of action! Communication is a two-way street with equal opportunity to listen and respect others' ideas. Effective communication is critical to good healthcare. Good communication skills are required by all healthcare professionals. Active listening, responding appropriately to patient’s needs/ concerns, properly assessing body language, and possessing a non-judgmental attitude are all necessary skills that healthcare workers need to possess. Effective communication between healthcare professionals should be clear, timely, & discrete. A simple, clear and respectful communication is key for a strong collaboration which goes a long way!

In my experience, patients value comprehensive treatment expertise from healthcare professionals and prefer to receive care at one place like multi-specialty hospitals. To provide the best care possible, it is important for healthcare professionals to let other professions display their expertise and appreciate them by utilizing their skills for the greater good of the patient. What matters most is whether the patient has received the best comprehensive treatment possible without any hassle of visiting multiple clinics. Treatment protocols in the healthcare industry are a result of collaboration between industry experts because addressing patient's overall health with ease of accessibility of healthcare services takes precedence above all.

In designing strategies for team interventions, setting up avenues for ongoing evaluation and feedback into the plan ensures success. Make sure at the beginning of the design of interprofessional work that feedback is part of the plan. What tools will you use? When? How? How will the feedback be shared with the team to evaluate progress as well as help to evaluate success and any changes be part of the process?

Interprofessional interventions offer numerous benefits by leveraging the collective expertise of professionals from diverse fields. This collaborative approach enhances holistic problem-solving, improves patient care outcomes, and promotes a more comprehensive understanding of complex issues. Communication and coordination among professionals are heightened, leading to increased efficiency, reduced errors, and a more integrated approach to addressing multifaceted challenges in various settings, including healthcare, education, and social services.

Interprofessional interventions will only be successful if the primary focus of interprofessional teams are led by the patients and communities we serve. Additionally, we are a health team. We are all health professionals and/or health providers. Do not segregate the team by stating “physicians and other staff or providers.” Physicians are providers similar to nursing, dentists, public health professionals, etc.

Perhaps reconsider the use of the wording "healthcare providers". It implies that those whom we serve are recipients rather than proactive participants of their own health. In my writing, communications, and interactions, I am switching over to the term "healthcare professionals" as an alternative to "healthcare providers" until there is a better option.

Healthcare teams are all unique, and the context each team works in is unique. Interventions to develop interprofessional practice are complex interventions. An understanding of the local context, and engaging in partnering with the healthcare team to co-design bespoke interventions is a key step.

A key component in interprofessional collaborative practice is ensuring that everyone operates at the top of their license. This means that team members have a clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities of each member of the team. This principle is fundamental to ensure that patients receive the most effective care, and that providers support one another to ensure everyone's well-being. With health workforce shortages on the rise, we need to enable mechanisms that are designed to support the well-being of everyone in our systems. The rates of burnout and lack of health in our health professionals is unacceptable, and strategies like interprofessioal team practice help spread the workload while showing better quality outcomes.