LP8 Assignment: Multidisciplinary Teams
Oct. 29, 2015

Identify at least three specific challenges to working in a multidisciplinary team. How might these problems get in the way of progress? How might you, as a health care leader, resolve potential issues in patient care? Write a one to two page paper addressing these challenges.

In multidisciplinary teams, challenges and disagreements arise when people of different backgrounds come together to form a unit, group, or organization. A few challenges that teams face are: responsibilities roles, respect amongst team members, and shared decision making. Such problems can hinder a team from producing effective results. For example, not completely defining each person’s individual role and contributions to the team, can “consequently affect how professionals work together and can cause confusion.” (Snyder, 2014). “To ensure optimum functioning of the team and effective patient outcomes, the roles of the multidisciplinary team members in care planning and delivery must be clearly negotiated and defined.” (Hospital Substitution, 2014). One can avoid many threats that accompany multidisciplinary teams by creating a set of guidelines for team members to abide by. Effectively communicating and collaborating with members of the team can help clear up misunderstandings. Leaders that support and build relationships with members, often have positive influences that can motivate and help build towards specific goals.

References
Hospital Substitution. (2014, January 28). Multidisciplinary Team Care. Retrieved November 1, 2015, from http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/healthone/Pages/Multidisciplinary-Team-Care.aspx
Snyder, L. (2014). Challenges of Working Together | Practical Playbook. Retrieved October 29, 2015, from https://www.practicalplaybook.org/further-guidance/pitfalls-integration-and-how-avoid-them
Sollecito, W. A., & Johnson, J. K. (2013). CQI, Transformation, and the "Learning" Organization. In Mclaughlin and Kaluzny's Continuous Quality Improvement in Health Care (4th ed., pp. 277-306). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.