Interdisciplinary teamwork and collaboration in patient care practices.
Conflict often occurs when groups of professionals join together to work in teams. Teamwork is a common theme in many industries nowadays though, so finding a way to create positive outcomes from conflict is necessary. In the case of healthcare, many different interdisciplinary teams work together to deliver the best healthcare possible, but even healthcare professionals will have conflict. Again, the best way to deal with conflict is to find what positive attributes can be added to the team as they work through the conflict.
Some examples of how teams may go about using conflict in a positive way lie in the type of issues that arise in healthcare. One big issue is medical errors. They are usually the result of a communication breakdown due to conflict. When teams are conflicted, it is possible that their communication will not be what it should be to best serve the needs of the patient. That is when medical error occurs. Other situations that can occur when communications have broken down include inefficient care transitions and 30-day readmissions. Both of these are topics of high concern to nurses. If they are part of a team that has conflicts, then it is much more likely that these examples of failed patient care will occur.
One way to manage conflict so that it becomes a positive force rather than a negative one is to realize that conflict often arises out of an unmet need such as enough time to participate in a transition of care. Once a team member realizes that pretty much everybody who works in healthcare suffers from time conflicts, then s/he can have empathy for team members who make mistakes. If s/he demonstrates this understanding and patience, then when s/he makes a mistake, s/he may find the same in return. Teamwork does not usually just become efficient without going through conflicts and working through them. Eggenberger, Sherman, and Keller (2014) of American Nurse Today talks about managing conflict that relationships of trust are created and the teams that are capable of this type of adhesion are quite effective. “Achieving this level of teamwork can be challenging. Communication breakdowns and conflict are inevitable” (Eggenberger, Sherman, & Keller, 2014). These authors go on to say that there are many obstacles to putting together this type of team, but effective conflict management can help.
Other suggestions that Eggenberger, Sherman and Keller (2014) suggest include setting clear goals, having open communication, effective decision making, engaging all members, respecting diversity, having trust among members, cooperative relationships, and participative leaders (Eggenberger, Sherman, & Keller, 2014). When conflict arises, it is the perfect time for leaders to become involved and try to direct the conflicts into positive actions. Brinkman (2018), a healthcare professional in the field of rehabilitation, says, “Research on teamwork in acute care settings demonstrates the importance of ‘adaptability, implicit and explicit coordination, shared leadership, and conflict resolution’ in these dynamic environments. . . . There are principles that are likely to translate across care environments” (Brinkman, 2018). In other words, when professionals realize there is conflict, and that unless it is resolved, their patient care will suffer, they should be eager to work through the conflict to reach an agreed upon solution. Effective leadership can help this to occur.
In the end, conflict should not be actively avoided, at least to some extent. From conflict, new ideas and ways of collaborating arise. “Differing perspectives about care are to be expected, and most disagreements are resolved respectfully and professionally. When individuals can build on a foundation of trust and mutual respect, conflicts can be avoided, minimized, or worked through in a constructive manner” (Brinkman, 2018). Conflict comes from diversity of ideas, and diversity should be celebrated because it brings the unchallenged notions to the surface and allows for constructive discussion and resolution.
References
Brinkman, J. T. (2018, December). Collaboration and Conflict in Interdiscipinary Teams. Op Edge. Retrieved from https://opedge.com/Articles/Vi...
Eggenberger, T., Sherman, R. O., & Keller, K. (2014). Creating high-performance interprofessional teams. American Nurse Today, 9(11). Retrieved from https://www.americannursetoday...
