The Crucial Role of Teamwork in Enhancing Healthcare Outcomes and Efficiency (Full Transcript)

Speaker 1: One of the key elements of success is teamwork. Now teamwork works like a clock. For a clock to work at all, you need all the parts functioning properly within a collaborative setting. In healthcare, many professionals work interdependently to achieve a common goal, patient treatment. So what benefits does teamwork have? It improves quality of patient care, reduces length of stay, enhances patient safety, and reduces workload issues amongst healthcare workers. Not only does your workplace become more enjoyable and productive when you're able to operate as a team, but safety issues are reduced and retention rates increase. But how? Let's expand on the benefits of teamwork. As trust develops in a cohesive team, you gain more confidence in your partners to be more responsive to change as they occur, knowing they will fulfill their duties during a crisis, if there were to be one. Your healthcare team and the patients experience less stress when members of the team fulfill their duties, knowing their counterparts are working towards coordinated goals. When the roles are clear amongst the team members, there is less confusion about patients' treatment plans. At the same time, when communication is clear amongst the team, patients also experience greater clarity about their treatment and expected outcome. Teams that are highly involved in treatment plans and service delivery tend to be more efficient and utilize resources better. The teamwork technique can save money and increase competitiveness in the facility. Your education teaches you about your special area of work, but you often know little about what other providers bring to the complete treatment plans of patients. By knowing the duties of each team member, whether it be interdisciplinary or within your profession, you can work together more effectively. You can then appreciate the roles of the physicians, nurses, and all the rest of the healthcare members and work together as a team for the best interest of the patient. And of course, in order for all this to happen, there must be a great amount of explicit communication. And that can be implemented with written documents such as checklists, QC binders, or verbal notes and conversations.