Vicki Wong MB10 K1456369

IPE Reflective Account

Introduction

Interprofessional education (IPE) is defined as one or more professionals

learning together, with the goal of developing collaborative teamwork and
improving healthcare outcomes(1). My IPE group consisted of four nurses,
two medical students, one pharmacist and one dietician. We were given
the task to create a presentation on the topic; How can protocols and
guidelines enhance patient safety? and present it to fellow peers at the
end of a three-week period. I will reflect on these experiences in the hopes
of gaining a better insight into multi-disciplinary teams and their
relevance to healthcare.

Concrete Experience

During the first meeting of our team, we introduced ourselves in order to

break the ice; this involved the process of getting to know other team
members. This conforms to the first stage of Tuckmans team
development sequence, known as forming. Communication between
individuals can often be guarded or superficial in order to avoid
confrontation (2), however, our team did not have instances of guarded
communication. Hence very quickly, open communication or
norming(2) was established in the team, this being evident when it came
to deciding what topic to base our presentation on. A topic that was first
proposed was declined by many individuals due to its complexity, many
voiced their concerns about this and hence another topic was decided
upon instead. The first meeting then adjourned with a line of
communication through a Whatsapp messaging group being established,
this was very helpful in ensuring the group stayed in contact with each
other outside of timetabled sessions. It proved very beneficial in the later
stages of creating the presentation.

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After the teams initial meeting, we all put forward ideas regarding the
concept and information to be included in the presentation. This was the
stage where we gathered ideas and brainstormed, leading to clear points
and objectives to be completed (3), such as finding the list of never
events that occurred in 2014. This was the performing stage of our team
development according to Tuckmans theory(2).

Specific points to be covered in the presentation were then allocated to

team members and individuals put forward which areas they wished to
complete. Individuals then completed work separately whilst
communicating through the messaging group. Due to the busy schedule
of every individual, we were unable to meet on a number of occasions
before the presentation date. However, due to the lack of communication
problems this was solved simply by meeting an hour before the
presentation. Our team was very adaptable and flexible which contributed
to our effective teamwork(4). During the last meeting, the presentation
was finalised and individuals presenting practiced their parts in
preparation for the last IPE session.

Reflective Observation

Different individuals in teams can conform to particular roles; everyone

brings something different to a group whether it be knowledge or skills.
Teams are more effective when there is a mixture of personalities and
skills (5). The role to which I conformed to according to Belbins roles is
Team worker, I was in charge of researching the limitations and
improvements to the WHO Surgical Safety checklist. I feel that I
communicated well within the team and developed a very good
relationship with all individuals. In particular, I was able to organise a
library room for us to meet in order to finalise the presentation. Many
other individuals also fit the role of team worker, whilst some were co-
ordinators. They were the more confident individuals of the team often

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helping the team stay focused(5) on occasions where irrelevant discussion

was to occur. A good team member is someone who is dependable,
flexible and cooperative(6), this definitely applied to all of our group
members as we were all able to work effectively without any conflict.

One of the characteristics of an effective team is having a clear goal(7), all

individuals had the same objective in mind, in our case this was to
complete and present a presentation on our chosen topic. This helped in
ensuring that individuals all contributed to the presentation. Openness is
also another factor important to effective team work(8). As a group we
were very honest with each other, individuals were not prevented from
expressing their views or feel that they were unable to. This helped
greatly when choosing which parts of the presentation to edit out. Peer
reviews on my performance complimented my good communication skills
and research. My contribution to presenting was also highlighted, even
though I was reluctant to present, my group members encouraged and
supported me in a way that I felt comfortable enough to do so.

I believe that I should have been more assertive at times when it came to
making decisions, as my lack of certainty when trying to decide what
points to keep on my slide could have caused confusion. However due to
the support from my team, this problem was quickly solved. Being more
assertive and confident will be key when working within in a team in order
to prevent confusion and delay especially in a clinical environment(9).

Abstract Conceptualisation

Through this project I was able to gain an insight into the factors needed
to make an effective team. Communication is essential for a team to be
functioning well (7), creating a way of communication at the first instance
really helped with keeping track of the progress of the task. Mutual
respect for one another also played a key part into how effective our
teamwork was, providing a network of trust and support(10). I feel that it

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prevented the team from having conflict and hence made our team more
productive.

Due to the different disciplinary backgrounds of team members I was able

to learn a lot about protocols and guidelines used in clinical environments.
The WHO surgical safety checklist was something I was not familiar with
until now, and having done IPE I feel as though it has greatly improved my
understanding. I now know why protocols are in place and how they are in
place to prevent never events. For the creation of the presentation we
used an online application called Prezi which enabled us to edit and
create a presentation on multiple computers. Having not used this
application beforehand, it was a good opportunity for me to learn how to
use a different presenting software other than PowerPoint.

The significance of effective teams in healthcare is highlighted through

the reduction of patient errors and enhancement of patient care(11).
Research has shown that good team work reduces stress among
individuals working in a healthcare setting(12). The positive effects of
good team work not only translate to patient safety but also to individuals
on the team.

Active Experimentation

Teamwork has been highlighted as one of the many aspect that need to
be improved on in order to prevent medical errors and adverse
events(13). In the annual never event report by the NHS in 2014 it showed
that 312 never events occurred(14). Many of these events were due to
poor communication, lack of teamwork and failure to adhere to safety
protocols(15). It is evident that good teamwork is at the centre of
improving patient safety and outcomes in healthcare, if the importance of

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good teamwork is not bought to attention then the safety of patients will
be at risk.

As a medical student I will be part of many multi-disciplinary teams in my

future career. I will be working with other healthcare professions with the
common goal providing the best care for patients, for this to be achieved
effective teamwork must take place. I have learnt the aspects of a good
team which will help me become a valuable member of a clinical team in
the future. I need more assertive and confident when working in a group
and so even though there was no need for a leadership role in my IPE
group, I would feel comfortable to take on that role in the future. The skills
that I have learnt from participating in IPE will be translated into my future
work as a doctor.

Conclusion

IPE has allowed to gain an insight into the important of effective teamwork
in a multidisciplinary environment. It has also allowed me to develop my
teamwork and communication skills which can be translated into my
future practises when working with different professions. Good teamwork
is needed to ensure the safety of patients and to maximise patient
outcomes, the skills that I have learnt from IPE will allow me to provide the
most effective care for my patients in the future.

Word Count: 1409 words

References

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