Effective Teamwork



Effective Teamwork

Key Messages

• A healthcare system that supports effective teamwork can improve the quality of patient care, enhance patient safety and reduce workload issues that cause burnout among healthcare professionals.

• Teams work most effectively when they have a clear purpose; good communication; co-ordination; protocols and procedures; and effective mechanisms to resolve conflict when it arises. The active participation of all members is another key feature. Successful teams recognize the professional and personal contributions of all members; promote individual development and team interdependence; recognize the benefits of working together; and see accountability as a collective responsibility.

• The make-up and functioning of teams varies depending on the needs of the patient. The complexity of the health issue defines the task. The more interdependency needed to serve the patient, the greater the need for collaboration among team members.

• Patients and their families are important team members with an important role in decision-making. To enable patients to participate effectively, they need to learn about how to participate in the team; how to obtain information about their condition; and how each healthcare professional will contribute to their care.

• Teams function differently depending on where they operate. Teams in hospitals have clearly defined protocols and procedures, professional hierarchies, and shared institutional goals, while teams in community-based primary care practices face challenges related to the role-blurring in community settings. This wide variety of settings and tasks means that transferability of processes is not always straightforward. It also highlights the need for a common definition of “team.”

• Teamwork is influenced by organizational culture. A clear organizational philosophy on the importance of teamwork can promote collaboration by encouraging new ways of working together; the development of common goals; and mechanisms to overcome resistance to change and turf wars about scopes of practice. Teams need training to learn how to work together and understand the professional role/responsibility of each member. They also require an effective administrative structure and leadership.

• The larger policy context can promote teamwork by providing consistent government policies and approaches; health human resource planning; legislative frameworks to break down silos; and models of funding/remuneration that encourage collaboration. Successful team interventions are often embedded in initiatives working to improve quality of care through better co-ordination of healthcare services and the effective utilization of health resources with a focus on the determinants of health.

Drawn from:

TEAMWORK IN HEALTHCARE:PROMOTING EFFECTIVE TEAMWORK IN HEALTHCARE IN CANADA

Policy Synthesis and Recommendations June 2006

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