Page 112 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Cooperation Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 112
s time, there has been a large expansion of multidisciplinary settings
that involve several social and health care and related professionals (e.g.
in hospitals, children’s centres, child/adolescence mental health servic-
es; Frost, 2011; nursing and residential homes, day care services; Leathard,
2003). Teamwork in the healthcare environment is recognised as being
beneficial not only for patients, but also for healthcare professionals. While
working together, a healthcare team can find solutions and create strategies
that will improve a client’s function, activity and participation (Borrill et
al., 1999; Huss et al., 2013).
Despite the acknowledged potential of multi-professional team coop-
eration, various authors see several challenges to its successful function-
ing. Hardy et al. (1992) identified barriers in joint working and planning
across the health and social services, including problems associated with
competitive ideologies and values; professional self-interest; competition
for domains; conflicting views about users; as well as differences between
specialisms, expertise and skills. Several ethical dilemmas (e.g. boundary
issues, confidentiality, consent, safety, involuntary treatment and restraint;
Leathard, 2003; Thistlethwaite & Hawksworth, 2015) may occur where there
is diversity amongst team members in terms of personal, professional, and/
or organisational values (Thistlethwaite & Hawksworth, 2015). Approaches
used within health and social care settings were identified to create and
conduct interventions (e.g. team training, quality improvement initiatives)
to improve inter-professional teamwork (Reeves et al., 2010).
On a similar note, lessons arising from introducing multi-profession-
al teams in health care (primary, emergency mental) teach us that atten-
tion to team development (e.g. extensive consultations with relevant staff
groups), team management (e.g. a team coordinator in charge of leader-
ship, managing the budget, communication), training for the team coordi-
nator and team members as well as ongoing support is needed. This brings
a series of benefits for the functioning of the team (e.g. a climate of coop-
eration, more integrated care for patients, improved quality of life of team
members; Borrill & West, 2001; behaviour change, Mazzocato et al., 2011;
Morgan, 2001). Collaboration on health care shows that communication
between groups of professionals is the linchpin of successful collaboration,
along with patient-centred care (as opposed to power struggles), inter-pro-
fessional learning and the localisation of budgets (Daly, 2004). Parallel to
this, workload, increased bureaucracy, inter-professional and interper-
sonal conflicts were the biggest problems identified in community mental
112
that involve several social and health care and related professionals (e.g.
in hospitals, children’s centres, child/adolescence mental health servic-
es; Frost, 2011; nursing and residential homes, day care services; Leathard,
2003). Teamwork in the healthcare environment is recognised as being
beneficial not only for patients, but also for healthcare professionals. While
working together, a healthcare team can find solutions and create strategies
that will improve a client’s function, activity and participation (Borrill et
al., 1999; Huss et al., 2013).
Despite the acknowledged potential of multi-professional team coop-
eration, various authors see several challenges to its successful function-
ing. Hardy et al. (1992) identified barriers in joint working and planning
across the health and social services, including problems associated with
competitive ideologies and values; professional self-interest; competition
for domains; conflicting views about users; as well as differences between
specialisms, expertise and skills. Several ethical dilemmas (e.g. boundary
issues, confidentiality, consent, safety, involuntary treatment and restraint;
Leathard, 2003; Thistlethwaite & Hawksworth, 2015) may occur where there
is diversity amongst team members in terms of personal, professional, and/
or organisational values (Thistlethwaite & Hawksworth, 2015). Approaches
used within health and social care settings were identified to create and
conduct interventions (e.g. team training, quality improvement initiatives)
to improve inter-professional teamwork (Reeves et al., 2010).
On a similar note, lessons arising from introducing multi-profession-
al teams in health care (primary, emergency mental) teach us that atten-
tion to team development (e.g. extensive consultations with relevant staff
groups), team management (e.g. a team coordinator in charge of leader-
ship, managing the budget, communication), training for the team coordi-
nator and team members as well as ongoing support is needed. This brings
a series of benefits for the functioning of the team (e.g. a climate of coop-
eration, more integrated care for patients, improved quality of life of team
members; Borrill & West, 2001; behaviour change, Mazzocato et al., 2011;
Morgan, 2001). Collaboration on health care shows that communication
between groups of professionals is the linchpin of successful collaboration,
along with patient-centred care (as opposed to power struggles), inter-pro-
fessional learning and the localisation of budgets (Daly, 2004). Parallel to
this, workload, increased bureaucracy, inter-professional and interper-
sonal conflicts were the biggest problems identified in community mental
112
