How can interdisciplinary teams improve decision-making in case management?

I personally found myself quite ill and rushed to a hospital while on a business trip in D.C. early in 2019. My fever had soared to 106 and I was admitted right away. I was assigned to an interdisciplinary group of professionals of all sorts who worked on my case until I was released a week later. Their collaborative spirit, collective knowledge and varying views plus, a naturally-occuring systems approach to my care, a whole human being, was essential to the positive outcome. In addition to the lead, I was also visited several times a day just because team members wanted to say hi and see how I was feeling. In my own language, this was the epitome of low Virtual Distance - among them as a team - with me included - not a 'subject'.

The Interdisciplinary team approach utilizes an array of theoretical approaches, expertise, cultural and practical experiences to bridge divides and break barriers. Together this team assesses and implements best practices to address the needs of consumers efficiently and effectively while identifying common external or internal constraints that may arise throughout the process. Daily meetings also play a role to determine the need for making adjustments throughout the continuum to maintain growth potential or identify stuck points. These are just a few ways the Interdisciplinary team can function.

Visual mapping is like adding a splash of color to our teamwork. Instead of drowning in lengthy text, let's use visuals, symbols, and drawings to get our points across. Picture this: A social worker draws a family tree to show who's who in a complex case, making relationships crystal clear. Meanwhile, a healthcare pro whips up diagrams to explain medical stuff in a snap. It's like teamwork with training wheels, making sure we're all on the same page. So, grab those markers and let's map our way to better collaboration!

As a new nurse, I encountered a patient who insisted on an interdisciplinary meeting before accepting any treatment. This experience underscored the significance of teamwork and communication in healthcare. When all members of the care team collaborate effectively, it can lead to improved patient outcomes and heightened satisfaction.

As a clinician in various roles and responsibilities, I think each member of a multi-disciplinary team adds a clinical perspective specific to their own years of experience and scope of practice. In part, each patient has five professionals viewing their case to surmise a treatment plan for optimal results for example. There are no two clinicians alike and each professional on the team arrives with a specific view and scope of practice based on their own qualifications and years of experience. A team approach is quintessential in maximizing a best medical outcome in my opinion hands down.

I agree but also believe moving forward from simple ‘Interdisciplinary practice ‘is the need to develop ‘intra disciplinary practice’ where skill sets and responsibilities are devolved from traditional discipline owners and shared among the the team with those who have the scope, time, client relationship an opportunity to perform them

While interdisciplinary teams are valuable, not everyone is trying to solve the same problem or understands each other very well. For example, one of my healthcare clients found themselves with an important team member who seemed rude and superior to her peers. This made them feel hostile toward her. We discovered she'd been brought up in a different culture where it wasn't common to just go to strangers and shake hands, say how are you, etc. So when approached this way by her new colleagues, she felt they were being pushy and disrespectful so she stayed to herself. We discovered virtual distance was preventing the team from understanding each other clearly. Once corrected, they went on to do their case work much better - together.

Privacy and confidentiality are important. Information exchanged here is sensitive and access to channels is critical; consequences for privacy violations in this context are serious. People not involved in the case anymore should lose access while their contributions must be preserved for existing and future members benefit. Managing access and knowledge preservation need to be considered when selecting a specific platform. The long-term cost of managing access can be high. Platform have ways of managing access but it is important to understand who will have the capacity and carry the responsibility for doing it accurately and associated costs. Smart self-managing channels exist that use hints from events and data points around the client.

To overcome the challenges of interdisciplinary teams, leaders need to ensure everyone sees problems in the same way. They also need to act as a "contextual constant" to ensure everyone gets to know each other enough to see them clearly as well. It takes time to get to know other people, especially those with differing views and experiences. So leaders also need to stop expecting "instantly wonderful collaboration". What's the secret? Build trust faster. How? Encourage conversations about peoples backgrounds - especially looking for "weak ties"; other relationships that team members may have in common. This approach helps trust soar "via proxy" early and inoculates the team against future challenges that don't have to arise.

An interdisciplinary collaboration in case management is like building a dream team. Each person brings unique skills, like pieces of a puzzle fitting perfectly together. It's not just about having people from different fields; it's about appreciating what each person adds. Imagine you have a complex client, like a puzzle with many pieces. Trying to solve it alone wouldn't work, right? That's where collaboration comes in. When everyone's expertise is respected, creative solutions abound. Picture a case manager, a nurse, a social worker, & others teaming up, each contributing their unique perspective. That's interdisciplinary collaboration: teamwork, diversity, & making sure no puzzle piece is left out.

Interdisciplinary teams significantly impact the quality of care and care coordination. One barrier to success is ensuring that the information the care team discusses is available to those not present during rounding. With the implementation of disparate technology systems and processes designed to address this problem, often, it has been made worse. If the plan of care is documented in a way that is difficult to access, it is challenging to execute that plan. Consider workflows that support situational awareness and allow communication across shifts and teams.

Disparity in record keeping practices using differing software systems has, to date been my biggest barrier to interdisciplinary care across teams: not the workers who typically are finding ‘work arounds’ and time to for corridor talks to overcome the systemic obstacles within their departments.