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Overcoming Barriers to Interprofessional Collaboration
Barriers to Interprofessional Collaboration
The contemporary and emerging impediments to effective interprofessional
collaboration include power relations, professionalization, communication issues, and
organizational culture. The existing models of healthcare delivery portray a hierarchical
system of power relations that are not ideal for teamwork. Such deficiencies may be
attributed to inadequate training in collaborative practices and the scarcity of
interprofessional educational opportunities. As healthcare becomes increasingly complex,
new and evolving professional cultures, inconsistency in the caregivers’ schedules and the
absence of shared physical spaces may hinder integration even more in the future. Also, the
fast rate of technological and professional development could further divide professions and
increase the level of conflict. In a study done by Pelone et al. (2018), it was established that
organizational factors, including resource and leadership support, influence the effectiveness
of interprofessional collaboration.
Prepared and Dynamic: Advanced Practice Nurses in Interprofessional Teams
With increased independence in service coordination and delivery, APNs can be
strategic in building effective interprofessional teams.APNs can, therefore, introduce and
drive interprofessional education programs as a way of promoting understanding and
collaboration right from the time participants gain the initial experience in their respective
fields. They can help promote organizational policies that enable collaborative practice and
play an active part in creating care delivery models involving teams. Subsequently, in the
process of discharging leadership in the coordination of the patient care process, the APN
should provide an example of how interdisciplinary relations and communication should
work. Moreover, APNs are able to and should participate in and advance research on
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interprofessional collaboration, thus creating the evidence base for best practices. According
to Bender et al. (2022), APNs should also engage in interprofessional simulation and
teamwork practice development to enhance specialized collaborative competencies in
healthcare professions. Thus, by engaging in these actions, APNs can strongly contribute to
the elimination of obstacles and the creation of a more effective, collaborative working
environment that ultimately benefits the patient as well as the overall health system.
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References
Bender, M., Veenstra, J., & Yoon, S. (2022). Improving interprofessional communication:
Conceptualizing, operationalizing and testing a healthcare improvisation
communication workshop. Nurse Education Today, 119, 105530.
Pelone, F., Harrison, R., Goldman, J., & Zwarenstein, M. (2017). Interprofessional
collaboration to improve professional practice and healthcare outcomes. Cochrane
database of systematic reviews, (6).
