Various Interdisciplinary Relationships in Medicine - Term Paper Example

INTERDISCIPLINARY RELATIONSHIPS Interdisciplinary Relationships Word Count: 1300 (5 pages) I. Introduction There are various interdisciplinary relationships in medicine that are very important for the development of a health care system which works for its patients. The focus of care should be placed solely upon the patient, and working in order to fulfill his or her needs. How care is managed amongst the team of professionals treating the patient is the subject of which this piece is concerned—and it is of paramount importance that care is well-managed in the sense that all the team members should be working together with minimal interference and/or conflicts. That can be achieved. In this piece, it will be examined ways to avoid and resolve conflict, how to work as a team and collaborate with other departments, and ways to make the process of interdisciplinary cooperation better—within the scope of radiology and the emergency room, the pharmacy and the doctor, and the nurse, doctor, and other nurses. Each of these relationships is so closely connected that it’s important that everyone maintains good levels of communication within the professions represented. It will be mentioned if there has been an instance of breakdown within one of these three groups, as well as how one particular organization associated with deals with patients and families in the context of interdisciplinary relationships across the board. II. Radiology and the Emergency Room Radiology and the emergency room work very closely together. Whether it is a person with a broken leg getting an X-ray or a heart patient getting a cardiac catheter—the radiology techs must work closely with the emergency room in order to exactly determine the root cause of a problem and how that can be solved. For example, if a heart patient has a blockage, that blockage must be determined exactly and then be communicated to the emergency room team. In one case from personal experience, the patient was given a cardiac catheter in order to find out where the blockage was. The blockage looked like it was at one juncture, but it turned out to be at another, less crucial juncture. Also, the radiology lab might provide not only a cardiac catheter lab, but ultrasounds as well. If the heart patient needs an ultrasound in order to determine the nature of his or her blockage, that can also be done in a radiology lab. All the equipment needed to get pictures inside the patient’s torso can be taken within the radiology lab. There are various functions that the radiology lab can have, then. In my particular health organization, the radiology lab encompasses both the cardiac catheter lab and the ultrasound equipment. This is to conserve financial resources of the health service provider organization. Dealing with patients and families with regard to the radiology lab can be problematic, because sometimes families want to come into the radiology lab with the patient before the patient goes to the emergency room. However, this is not possible, nor is it part of the organization’s policy. For the health service provider of which is being spoken, the main idea that is important when it comes to families and patients is that families should be reassured, and patients should be well taken care of when in our care, for certain. III. Pharmacy and the Doctor The pharmacy and the doctor need to work together because these interdisciplinary relationships are necessary elements of a patient’s relative success or failure. If, for example, the patient needs a refill on a medication, the pharmacy must fax the doctor in order to get a new script to fill. If the doctor’s office is lax in getting back to the pharmacy—sometimes medications can be delayed if these prescriptions are not asked for 24 to 48 hours in advance. This can be problematic, and thusly, doctors and pharmacy technicians must work together in the best interests of the patient. Another difficulty is that sometimes the pharmacy will not be able to read the signature of the doctor or the prescription that the doctor writes. This can be problematic, as many doctors are notoriously known for their bad handwriting. However, it is up to the pharmacy to call and confirm anything with the doctor before prescribing an amount of medication about which they are not completely sure. Since the pharmacy guards all of its medications, really, the pharmacy is the last thing standing between a patient and the patient receiving his or her medications in a timely and safe manner. If a pharmacist is not sure about a prescription, it is always a good idea to double-check with the doctor first if possible. If it’s not possible to check with the doctor, a pharmacist may ask other pharmacy team members to aid with the filling of the prescription, especially if that pharmacist is new to the whole profession. Whether the pharmacy is located in a hospital or at a local drugstore, it is imperative that the doctor and the pharmacist stay in close contact in order to collaborate in terms of what types of medications are being dispensed and so forth. IV. The Relationships Between the Nurse and Doctor, and Between Nurses It is important for the nurse and the doctor to maintain a good professional working relationship. When communication breaks down between the nurse and the doctor, this can be problematic for the patient. Sometimes nurses require that doctors call them back regarding—many times—issues that have to do with medication management. For example, if a patient is having pain, the nurse may suggest that the doctor prescribe various pain patches or extra doses of morphine if required—especially in hospice situations. Sometimes nurses themselves cannot get along.“When nurses who are oppressed internalize the values of the dominant medical practitioner culture as being right, they lose their cultural identity as nurses, and self-hatred may be the result. [D]ivisiveness and fear of confrontation with powerful groups are common among members of oppressed groups” (Dunn, 2003, pp. 977). Nurses not only have difficulty getting along with other nurses, but sometimes find that there are strains in the relationships between oneself and another nurse alone. “Findings indicate that nurses are most concerned about their colleagues’aggression towards them…On a practical level much of the aggression reported can be seen as a breakdown in‘relationship rules’, i.e. staff failed to respect each others privacy, were unwilling to help out, keep confidences and so on” (Farrell, 1997, pp. 508). It is important that the nurses get along and maintain good relationships with their corollary doctors—whether it be in a hospital or hospice or nursing home or home care or other setting. In order to best meet the needs of the patient and his or her family, it is important to maintain a professional outlook and persona. This is so that breakdowns in communication are avoided by those who are out to serve the patient and make sure his or her needs are met. Petty arguments and disagreements only serve to contribute to the breakdown of relationship rules, which should be avoided at all costs if possible. V. Conclusion There are several ways to avoid and resolve conflict. There are also many ways to be able to work as a team within various professional capacities and collaborate with other departments. Of course, there are also always ways to make the process of serving patients and families better. These have all been demonstrated in this piece. Some personal experiences with interdisciplinary relationships and have been provided and described as to whether they worked well or if there were breakdowns. Interdisciplinary relationships definitely affect the organization with which one is associated and the patients and families that use my health care organization are well cared for and looked after. For the particular purposes of this piece, the following interdisciplinary relationships were analyzed in-depth at length: that of the radiology department and the emergency room; the relationship between the pharmacy and the doctor; and the relationship between the doctor and other nurses. REFERENCES Dunn, H. (2003). Horizontal violence among nurses in the operating room. AORN Journal, 78(6): 977-980. Farrell, G. A. (1997). Aggression in clinical settings: nurses views. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 25(3): 501-508. Read More