What is it?An interdisciplinary approach involves team members from different disciplines working collaboratively, with a common purpose, to set goals, make decisions and share resources and responsibilities.1 Show
A team of clinicians from different disciplines, together with the patient, undertakes assessment, diagnosis, intervention, goal-setting and the creation of a care plan. The patient, their family and carers are involved in any discussions about their condition, prognosis and care plan.2 In contrast, a multidisciplinary approach involves team members working independently to create discipline-specific care plans that are implemented simultaneously, but without explicit regard to their interaction.3 Depending on the resources of the individual health service, a combination of the two approaches may be used when caring for older people. Why is it important?
How can you adopt an interdisciplinary approach to caring for older people?The care team need to work together, utilising an interdisciplinary approach, to provide and implement a care plan that meets the patient’s goals and needs. All health care professionals have a shared role in providing person-centred care for older people. Elements integral to a successful interdisciplinary approachLeadershipPositive leadership and management give clear direction and vision for the team through:
Person-centred practiceWell-integrated and coordinated care that is based on the needs of the patient can contribute to reducing delays to provision of care and duplicating assessment.1
TeamworkAn interdisciplinary approach relies on health professionals from different disciplines, along with the patient, working collaboratively as a team. The most effective teams share responsibilities and promote role interdependence while respecting individual members’ experience and autonomy.9
CommunicationCommunication across disciplines, care providers and with the patient and their family/carers, is essential to setting the goals that most accurately reflect the person’s desires and needs.
1. Department of Human Services 2008, Health independence programs guidelines, State Government, Melbourne. 2. Jessup RL 2007, ‘Interdisciplinary versus multidisciplinary care teams: do we understand the difference?’, Australian Health Review, 31(3):330-331. 3. Continuing Care Section, Programs Branch, Metropolitan Health and Aged Care Services Division, Department of Human Services 2003, Improving care for older people: a policy for health services, State Government of Victoria, Melbourne. . 4. Fewster-Thuente L & Velsor-Friedrich B 2008, ‘Interdisciplinary collaboration for healthcare professionals’, Nursing Administration Quarterly, 32(1):40-48. 5. Youngwerth J & Twaddle M 2011, ‘Cultures of Interdisciplinary Teams: How to Foster Good Dynamics’, Journal of Palliative Medicine, 14(5):650-654. 6. Curley C, McEachern JE & Speroff T 1998, ‘A firm trial of interdisciplinary rounds on the inpatient medical wards – An intervention designed using continuous quality improvement’, Medical Care, 36(8):AS4-AS12. 7. Curley C, McEachern JE & Speroff T 1998, ‘A firm trial of interdisciplinary rounds on the inpatient medical wards – An intervention designed using continuous quality improvement’, Medical Care, 36(8):AS4-AS12. 8. Jacob A, Roe D, Merrigan R & Brown T 2013, ‘The Casey Allied Health Model of Interdisciplinary Care (CAHMIC): Development and implementation’, International Journal of Therapy & Rehabilitation, 20(8):387-395. 9. Nancarrow SA, Booth A, Ariss S, Smith T, Enderby P & Roots A 2013, ‘Ten principles of good interdisciplinary team work. Human Resources for Health’, 11(1):1-11. doi:10.1186/1478-4491-11-19. 10. Xyrichis A & Lowton K 2008, ‘What fosters or prevents interprofessional teamworking in primary and community care? A literature review’, International Journal of Nursing Studies, 45:140-153. 11. Nazir A, Unroe K, Tegeler M, Khan B, Azar J & Boustani M, 2013, ‘Systematic Review of Interdisciplinary Interventions in Nursing Homes’, Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 14(7):471-478. 12. Mansah M, Griffiths R, Fernandez R, Chang E & Thuy Tran D 2014, ‘Older folks in hospitals: the contributing factors and recommendations for incident prevention’, Journal of Patient Safety, 10(3):146-153. Which of the following strategies is more effective when working with a patient with dementia quizlet?Which of the following strategies is more effective when working with a patient with dementia? Give one-step directions and instructions.
Which of the following strategies is more effective when working with a deaf or hard of hearing patient?Which of the following strategies is more effective when working with a deaf or hard of hearing patient? Gain the patient's attention before you speak.
Which one of the following is the most effective way to improve communication with most patients?Which one of the following is an effective way to improve communication with most patients? write questions on a note pad.
When communicating with older patients it is most important to remember that?When communicating with older patients, it is MOST important to remember that: their illnesses may be more complex because they may have more than one disease process and may be taking several medications concurrently.
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