Some healthcare professionals may struggle to collaborate with coworkers due to various factors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Healthcare workers face challenging working conditions and high stress levels that can lead to poor mental and physical health.” Identifying and addressing issues affecting staff engagement improves collaboration and reduces workplace-related stress. Driftwood Recovery fosters a collaborative approach to teamwork, ensuring all staff members feel equally supported and respected.
What Is a Collaborative Approach to Teamwork?
Clients and staff benefit when coworkers use teamwork to create a more collaborative environment. Working together with multiple people with different areas of expertise allows clients to receive more comprehensive care. Integrative services provided by a multidisciplinary team improve treatment outcomes.
Collaboration between professionals in healthcare generally involves the following:
- Effective and honest communication
- Continuous learning and training
- Frequent meetings to discuss case management
- Maintaining a patient-centered approach
- Sharing decision-making
- Defining roles and responsibilities
Collaboration is essential for individuals providing addiction recovery and mental health services. Combining the expertise of multiple professionals provides clients with support for their psychological and physical health needs. According to Medicine, “Collaborative Care may significantly improve patient outcomes.” In addition, collaborative care “has been shown to improve access to behavioral health services, deliver patient-centered behavioral and physical health care in the same setting, and improve overall clinical outcomes.” Driftwood Recovery provides staff members with the training and support they need to provide integrative care. Services and programs are designed to allow clinicians to collaborate closely with one another and clients to ensure high-quality care while reducing stress on staff.
Factors Impacting Teamwork in Healthcare
Integrative client care often requires collaboration between multiple departments and professional teams. Many factors affect how people work with and relate to one another. Individuals in high-stress positions may struggle to connect with coworkers. Clients and staff suffer if professionals fail to develop trust and effective communication.
Some of the most common factors impacting how well coworkers collaborate include:
- Chronic stress
- High caseloads
- Lack of cross-training
- Tension between coworkers
- Lack of personal boundaries
The workplace is a professional environment where everyone deserves to be treated with respect and compassion regardless of personal beliefs or skill level. Fostering a collaborative relationship between staff members reduces miscommunication and ensures everyone receives the support they need to succeed.
How Does a Collaborative Approach to Teamwork Improve the Workplace?
Collaboration improves teamwork in the workplace by doing the following:
- Enhancing communication
- Promoting innovation
- Clarifying roles and expectations
- Strengthening relationships
- Encouraging accountability
- Improving problem-solving
- Boosting morale
- Increasing positivity
Collaboration allows team members to learn from each other’s experiences and share areas of expertise. Individuals in high-stress positions use these opportunities to improve their skills and manage caseloads more effectively.
Quick Ways to Improve Teamwork in a Healthcare Setting
Teamwork can take weeks or months to develop naturally between individuals in the same department or program. However, professionals can do a few things to quickly build deeper bonds and cooperation with coworkers.
Some quick ways people can improve teamwork in a healthcare setting include:
- Practicing timely, respectful, and clear communication
- Acknowledging the contributions of coworkers
- Clearly defining objectives and sharing progress
- Giving constructive feedback
- Embracing diverse perspectives
- Focusing on collectively solving challenges
- Recognizing and celebrating team achievements
Driftwood Recovery trains every staff member to use these quick and practical tools for developing collaboration and teamwork. Every staff member has valuable insights and skills they can bring to the team. By working together, teams can reduce pressure on individuals and share the caseload.
How to Foster a Collaborative Approach Each Day
Every day is an opportunity for people to work together to improve their abilities, overcome challenges, and create a positive work environment. Healthcare professionals benefit from fostering collaboration through daily meetings, discussions about cases, and jointly led treatment services. Driftwood Recovery facilitates teamwork by providing staff with opportunities for cross-training and daily check-ins.
Personalizing client care is one of the ways professionals work together to reduce workplace stress. Clients and coworkers have a better experience when professionals pool their resources and skills to create personalized care plans. In addition, many clients struggling with addiction or mental health issues have better treatment outcomes if they participate in tailored care.
The Collaborative Approach to Teamwork at Driftwood Recovery
Driftwood Recovery uses teamwork to ensure clients have a positive rehabilitation experience. Everyone benefits when staff take the time to engage with one another and build deeper relationships. Collaboration is one of the most effective ways to ensure positive treatment outcomes.
Teamwork is essential to workplace productivity. According to the Canadian Pharmaceutical Journal, “Teamwork has [. . .] been shown to provide benefits to health care providers, including reducing extra work and increasing job satisfaction.” Driftwood Recovery uses collaborative care and multidisciplinary teams to provide tailored care to clients, ensuring a more positive work environment.
Individuals working in high-stress environments often face multiple challenges in coping with the pressure caused by client and coworker expectations. A collaborative approach to teamwork can significantly reduce the risk of emotional burnout, miscommunication, or unintentional errors by ensuring staff members work together effectively. Collaborating to provide clients with effective and integrative care reduces pressure on staff and improves treatment quality. Driftwood Recovery has policies in place to encourage teamwork and collaboration between staff. The management team offers additional support and guidance to ensure healthcare professionals feel comfortable speaking up or requesting assistance if they begin to feel overwhelmed. To learn more about how we collaborate to provide optimal care, call us today at (512) 759-8330.