The medical world continues to become more specialized, and in specific cases, that specialization is essential. There can be times where specialization looks at every problem as a nail and uses its proverbial hammer to address that problem. The problem is, not every problem is a nail.
Having a collaborative team working together and collaborating on your healthcare can be one of the most powerful things in healthcare, wellness, and performance. This short article’s purpose is to discuss how interprofessional collaboration, what you should look for, and why it will benefit you.
In a world where specialization is the norm and you can be bounced around from one appointment to the next and sometimes vision can get narrowed, and that can be dangerous…for you.
I believe one of the best things about inter-professional collaboration is that it can benefit the patient the most, and at the end of it all, that’s what is important. This can occur mainly because for professionals to work together and build off of each other’s knowledge base. They have to check their ego at the door and be open to ideas that they may not have seen which is paramount to give the best care possible. Having the practitioner be able to look outside themselves and ask for assistance and another point of view means the world in getting something figured out to help the patient.
As the patient, you should look for a practitioner who works in an integrative practice, as they have those instant resources. That isn’t always possible to find, so looking for someone who has gone outside what they deem their ‘comfort zone’ to explore new ideas to apply can also be useful. While we do believe that being a ‘jack of all trades’ can be beneficial, we also think that at some point, you either need to specialize to benefit the patient or be able to refer them in order to match the person whose expertise will benefit them the most.
Interprofessional collaboration is an in-vogue term bouncing around the medical profession but at no time has it been more important. Finding a team that can put your interest first and their ego behind them is best for you and anyone else that they come in contact with.
Practitioners, know what you know and know what you don’t know.
Patients, find someone who is willing to ask the question and who puts your health first.