Interprofessional Collaboration in Healthcare

Healthcare is a complex and multifaceted system of vital importance within today’s society. In recent years, the idea of interprofessional collaboration in this sphere has become a matter of intense interest for professionals and scholars. According to Schot et al. (2020), proper cooperation within a clinical team is essential, as its presence is associated with better patient outcomes. First, interprofessional collaboration helps bridge the gap between groups of professionals (Schot et al., 2020). Each specialist or generalist views a patient’s case from their own perspective, based on the priorities of their position. Effective communication and exchange of important information allow professionals to find better treatment solutions, consolidating the combined experience of each professional group. Additional attention will help reduce errors, which may be overseen without cooperation, and the safety of treatment will be bound to increase. This way, the collaboration enables understanding and efficiency within a medical team, thus leading to a higher quality of care and better patient outcomes.

Interprofessional cooperation is a multifaceted concept embedded in the current paradigm of effective healthcare. However, in certain contexts, it reveals its positive effect on a larger scale. Modern society increasingly relies on advanced technology, and this trend has permeated healthcare, as well. The use of electronic health records is becoming the new norm, whereas computers and the Internet are utilized for efficient diagnosis and treatment procedures (Kruse et al., 2018). Under these circumstances, information technology specialists have been integral elements of clinical teams. Nevertheless, their philosophy may sometimes clash with the doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals. The system will benefit from a more in-depth level of cooperation between the two groups. IT-specialists can devise and maintain complex electronic systems, but they are to find common ground with medical professionals. Ultimately, electronic instruments will be efficient from a technical point of view while meeting the requirements of the clinical team.

References

Kruse, C. S., Stein, A., Thomas, H., & Kaur, H. (2018). The use of electronic health records to support population health: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Medical Systems, 42.

Schot, E., Tummers, L., & Noordegraf, M. (2020). Working on working together. A systematic review on how healthcare professionals contribute to interprofessional collaboration. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 34(3), 332–342.