Why are nursing skills an integral part of an interdisciplinary team?
Why are nursing skills an integral part of an interdisciplinary team? And what are they?
With changes in health related practices, many providers of varying types of care are no longer situated in the same location, readily accessible to clients (Rossen, Bartlett, & Herrick, 2008). In turn, nurses require a unique combination of virtues and skills to work both independently and effectively in an interdisciplinary team. Comprising of, communication, listening, patience, respect and knowledge of other disciplines; they are the sultry sounds of nursing skills.
“Effective communication is the cornerstone of interdisciplinary collaboration” (McCaffery et al., 2012, p. 294). “Good interpersonal skills are vital, including good communication skills to convey clear messages and good listening skills to understand different perspectives” (Rossen et al., 2008, p. 389). Shortfalls in communication can undermine treatment outcomes (see figure 1.0) (Hayward, Canali, & Hill 2008). As Manojlovich and Antonakos (2008) identified, nurses experienced inadequacies in communication styles when dealing with physicians, and physicians found much of the information obtained by nurses irrelevant. This may be because health care professionals are generally educated as individuals and rarely train outside of their disciplines, enforcing barriers in communication from the outset (Miller, Riley, & Davis, 2009). Therefore, when communicating not only with physicians, but also the greater interdisciplinary team, nurses should aim to utilise the style preferred by the other professional and avoid unfamiliar jargon (Higgs, Ajjawi, Mcallister, Trede, & Loftus, 2012). This not only aids communication, but demonstrates respect and facilitates teamwork. “Simply installing a team structure with membership of expert professionals does not automatically ensure it will operate effectively” (Miller et al., 2009 p. 254). As figure 1.1 shows, effective team structures, processes and planning should
With changes in health related practices, many providers of varying types of care are no longer situated in the same location, readily accessible to clients (Rossen, Bartlett, & Herrick, 2008). In turn, nurses require a unique combination of virtues and skills to work both independently and effectively in an interdisciplinary team. Comprising of, communication, listening, patience, respect and knowledge of other disciplines; they are the sultry sounds of nursing skills.
“Effective communication is the cornerstone of interdisciplinary collaboration” (McCaffery et al., 2012, p. 294). “Good interpersonal skills are vital, including good communication skills to convey clear messages and good listening skills to understand different perspectives” (Rossen et al., 2008, p. 389). Shortfalls in communication can undermine treatment outcomes (see figure 1.0) (Hayward, Canali, & Hill 2008). As Manojlovich and Antonakos (2008) identified, nurses experienced inadequacies in communication styles when dealing with physicians, and physicians found much of the information obtained by nurses irrelevant. This may be because health care professionals are generally educated as individuals and rarely train outside of their disciplines, enforcing barriers in communication from the outset (Miller, Riley, & Davis, 2009). Therefore, when communicating not only with physicians, but also the greater interdisciplinary team, nurses should aim to utilise the style preferred by the other professional and avoid unfamiliar jargon (Higgs, Ajjawi, Mcallister, Trede, & Loftus, 2012). This not only aids communication, but demonstrates respect and facilitates teamwork. “Simply installing a team structure with membership of expert professionals does not automatically ensure it will operate effectively” (Miller et al., 2009 p. 254). As figure 1.1 shows, effective team structures, processes and planning should