Reflective Journal entry for the  Concept:  Teamwork and Collaboration

Teamwork and Collaboration

A healthcare facility is a system comprised of professionals of different cadres. Each of these professionals has an essential role to play in the management of patients. In my attachment, I saw the importance of inter-professional collaboration when preparing a patient for a major surgical procedure. The patient had reported to the emergency department with compound fractures secondary to a traffic road accident. The patient’s femur was broken at three different points and his major blood vessels had been injured. He had lost a lot of blood and needed an urgent transfusion and orthopedic surgery. In 45 minutes, the surgeon had arrived and the patient was taken to the operating theatre for this procedure. The prompt response, in this case, could not be possible without the efforts of emergency doctors, nurses, laboratory officers, and trauma staff. Each member of this team understood what they were required to do. Therefore, they executed their duties with speed and diligence in an attempt to save a life.

Inter-professional collaboration in surgical cases is crucial for positive outcomes and optimum patient management. It is especially useful in cases where speed is critical for patient survival. In major surgical cases, medical multidisciplinary teams are comprised of surgeons, nurses, physiotherapists, and even dental specialists (Escobar et al. 2018). Engaging different professionals increases the rate of success in all medical procedures. Communication is fundamental in the operation of these teams. Since each member of this team is important, all decisions made should be communicated and a consensus attained before proceeding with care plans (Schellenberger et al., 2021). Before taking the patient to the theatre, all the team members were involved in deciding on the amount of blood to transfuse, the nature of the procedure, the possibility of referral, and consultation with the surgeon.