Establish the importance of effective interprofessional communication
Establish the importance of effective interprofessional communication
Interprofessional communication is a fundamental component of interprofessional collaboration. Effective interprofessional collaboration fosters effective teamwork among members of an interprofessional client care team to optimize client outcomes (Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative, 2010), ensuring that clients are safe throughout the healthcare system (Canadian Nurses Association, n.d.a.).
Because of the significance of interprofessional collaboration, the Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative has developed a National Interprofessional Competency Framework, as shown in Figure 3.3.
Figure 3.3: National Interprofessional Competency Framework
As shown in Figure 3.3, six interdependent competency domains have been identified to achieve the goal of interprofessional collaboration (Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative, 2010). These are defined as the “knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values that shape the judgements essential for interprofessional practice” (Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative, 2010, pg. 9) and include:
Interprofessional communication
Patient/client/family/community-centred care
Role clarification
Team functioning
Interprofessional conflict resolution
Collaborative leadership
The first two competencies have a strong influencing role in all healthcare situations, so as shown in the figure, they encircle the other four competencies. This framework can assist you in contributing to effective healthcare team functioning with a focus on communication and working together collaboratively.
This chapter focuses specifically on the competency domain of interprofessional communication. This plays a central role in interprofessional collaboration because it supports the other five competency domains (Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative, 2010).
To fulfill the interprofessional communication competency, nurses and all healthcare professionals must develop the capacity to “communicate with each other in a collaborative, responsive and responsible manner” (Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative, 2010, p. 16). This means that each healthcare professional is responsible for engaging in effective communication in the specific clinical and interprofessional context in respectful, explicit, and clear ways (Lyndon et al., 2011). It is important to actively respond to the perspectives of everyone involved, including the client and other healthcare professionals. Table 3.2 presents strategies for effective interprofessional communication, adapted from the Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative.
Table 3.2: Strategies for effective interprofessional communication
DescriptorsExample and explanation“Establish teamwork communication principles” (p.16).Example: Each homecare agency has set procedures for homecare nurses to assess heart failure clients daily through remote monitoring of vital signs, weight, intake, and output. The client may tell the nurse that they have gained a couple of pounds this week. When significant changes like sudden weight gain arise, the nurse would submit a standardized electronic form to a clerk at a cardiac outpatient clinic. The cardiologist and nurse practitioner are then immediately alerted to the request for consultation and follow-up by phone with the client’s homecare agency nurse. This ensures that unforeseen changes in client status are managed appropriately and in a timely manner.Explana
