Thursday, March 17, 2011

What Are The Benefits Of Teamwork In Healthcare

Teamwork in the healthcare industry has many benefits.


Healthcare professionals from different disciplines who share common patients and goals will often collaborate in an effort to improve the overall care-giving experience. Teamwork in healthcare is also evident in trauma centers and emergency rooms as doctors, nurses and administrators race to save a life. Through coordination, communication and responsibility, teamwork in the healthcare industry has many benefits.


Improved Quality of Care


When doctors and nurses from different disciplines are communicating effectively and working as a unit, the quality of care they give their patients increases. There is a consistency and thoroughness that can be lost when teamwork is not evident. In a trauma situation, teamwork can help detect problems that may have gone unnoticed and save a patient's life.








Improved Patient Safety


When teamwork is implemented in a healthcare situation, the patient becomes an active partner in his own treatment. Doctors and nurses listen, monitor and execute based on the patient's feedback and information. This in turn creates a safer environment for the patient in terms of medications and unnecessary procedures.


Stress Reduction


When many healthcare professionals collaborate and brainstorm about a patient's care, the workload is distributed more evenly and stress is reduced. This will also reduce burnout by doctors and nurses working long hours and seeing many patients.


Increased Job Satisfaction


When everyone is working together as a team to accomplish a common goal, results will improve and people will be more satisfied with their professional life. When doctors and nurses work as a team and see patients get better faster, they will experience a heightened sense of pride and will look forward to going to work more each day.


More Effective Time Management


In the healthcare industry, teamwork equals efficiency. In so many medical situations, time is of the essence and solid teamwork will enable medical teams to manage their time more effectively. More patients will receive better care more often.


New Skills


When physicians and nurses who specialize in different areas are working in close proximity and communicating regularly, they are bound to learn new skills and expand their medical knowledge. If a heart specialist, dietitian and oncologist all get together to share ideas for treatment it can only benefit all involved.

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