THE DYNAMICS OF INTERPROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

The dynamics of inter professional

The dynamics of inter professional

Introduction

One of the key aspects of successful collaborative working is the relevant and effective exchange of information between professionals. Boundaries exist not only between health and social care in a community setting, but also in acute care between and within departments and professions. Patients continuously cross these boundaries during transfers and transitions, when nurses interact with other professionals and are in a prime position to demonstrate exemplary inter-professional relationships and seamless patient care to other staff and to students. Mentors act as role models for students of all professions and are expected to promote opportunities that will maximize student learning and enhance patient care. The paper focuses on learning opportunities in the peri-operative department, however the same challenges are experienced in other clinical areas and the principles of good inter-professional care can be applied to any team that aspires to work collaboratively.

There continues to be a need for a more holistic approach to practice as a result of the blurring of boundaries between health and social care and between the works carried out by different professions. In response to the need for change in the way professionals work with each other, inter-professional learning has been identified as a way of promoting professional collaboration. Inter-professional learning occurs when 'two or more professions learn with, from and about each other to improve collaboration and the quality of care'.

Mentors act as role models for students of all professions and can elicit discrete learning by teasing out issues, verbalizing intentions and articulating ways of working. Students expect that mentors will search for such opportunities to maximize their learning. This expectation is made explicit in Standards to Support Learning and Assessment in Practice, which states that mentors should use strategies to maximize learning and identify relevant experiences on which to reflect. In the document, Standards, Recommendations and Guidance for Mentors and Practice Placements similar emphasis is placed on the ability to identify learning needs and to have an understanding of inter-professional issues.

Students in the peri-operative environment

Students entering the peri-operative department experience the usual apprehension of undertaking a new learning experience. This apprehension can be managed by the mentor, who should provide the student with learning opportunities and adequate support. However, mentors themselves often exhibit anxiety when they know that theatre teams are under stress and making difficult decisions.

Clinical teamwork that demonstrates direct and honest communication, shared goals and tolerance to others can help to manage the anxiety felt by students and mentors. There is often an expectation that to provide effective mentor support the environment needs to be fully staffed, collegiate and learning oriented. In practice however, clinical experiences, including those in theatre, sometimes exemplify the team under pressure, solving problems and trying to resolve difficulties through communication.

It is found that poor inter-professional working and practices exist, and that episodes of conflict are an almost daily occurrence between peri-operative professionals, departments and teams. Similarly, difficulties in communication are identified and the management ...