How to write a nursing essay: What makes a team?

How to write a nursing essay: What makes a team?

Introduction: Teamwork is a significant aspect of health care delivery. With the increasing complexity and specialization of clinical care, healthcare workers have to learn more complicated methods and procedures to achieve the desired patient outcomes. Teamwork is associated with reduced medical errors and improve patient safety. Additionally, teamwork reduces staff burnout since a healthcare professional team is responsible for patient welfare (Zajac et al., 2021). Various strategies are key to ensuring effective teamwork for better patient outcomes.

Strategies for effective teamwork during patient care

Effective communication across staff members of a clinical team increases teamwork efficacy, leading to improved patient outcomes. Working towards a common goal, effective communication expands the traditional roles of each member to make decisions as a team (Zajac et al., 2021). One particular strategy that worked for my clinical team is goal setting at the beginning of the scheduled activities so that each member has a clear purpose for their roles for the day. Several studies also agree that goal setting provides the direction for implementing procedures and coordinated care. Organizing regular meetings and using digital communication platforms such as emails and WhatsApp groups to convey information relating to patient care to team members and debate suggestion is key to improving performance and, ultimately, patient outcomes.

Another effective team strategy is collaboration. By definition, health care involves multiple disciplines- nurses, doctors, and health care specialists in different fields, working together, communicating often, and sharing resources (Zajac et al., 2021). A clinical team is made up of professionals of different health cadres and responsibilities. Cumulatively, these differences contribute to the overall patient well-being and safety. The different teams contribute to patient outcomes by understanding the patient presenting illness, asking them probing questions regarding their situation, making an initial evaluation, discussing, and providing a recommendation based on their findings.

Strategies for ineffective teamwork during patient care

It is common for challenges to arise during teamwork. According to Hendrick et al. (2017), some of the most common challenges that impede a team’s efforts to improve patient care include a lack of commitment of team members, different individual team members’ goals, and conflict about how the team members individually relate to the patient. The input of individual members is vital to realizing the overall team’s goal. Therefore, each member must demonstrate full commitment to the course of the team. Also, if the goals of the individual members do not align with the team’s goal, then they might be less committed to achieving the team’s goal (Rawlinson et al., 2021). The healthcare team should help the patient understand that their care is multidisciplinary through effective communication. The team leader should effectively communicate the role of each member that contributes to the patient outcome to avoid unnecessary conflicts.

Conclusion

Better patient outcomes and healthcare delivery heavily rely on clinical teamwork. Some of the most effective strategies to ensure positive patient outcomes include effective communication and interprofessional collaboration. On the flip side, a lack of commitment for individual team members, differences in the individual and team goals, and conflicts regarding the professionals’’ relationship with the patient can significantly impair effective healthcare delivery through teamwork. Therefore, team leaders should effectively communicate with their team members and know them personally to avoid substandard healthcare outcomes.

References

Hendricks, S., LaMothe, V. J., Kara, A., & Miller, J. (2017). Facilitators and barriers for interprofessional rounding: A qualitative study. Clinical Nurse Specialist, 31(4), 219-228.

Rawlinson, C., Carron, T., Cohidon, C., Arditi, C., Hong, Q. N., Pluye, P., … & Gilles, I. (2021). An overview of reviews on interprofessional collaboration in primary care: barriers and facilitators. International Journal of Integrated Care, 21(2).

Zajac, S., Woods, A., Tannenbaum, S., Salas, E., & Holladay, C. L. (2021). Overcoming Challenges to Teamwork in Healthcare: A Team Effectiveness Framework and Evidence-Based Guidance. Frontiers in Communication, 6, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2021.606445

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