How comfortable are you collaborating with other medical professionals about mutual patients?
Most of us are very familiar with collaboration among other healthcare professionals, especially when it involves calling about pre-medication, medical consults, or specialty procedures. The more we know about other professions the better we can collaborate with them to improve health outcomes for the patient. Collaboration occurs at many different levels of an organization, between dentist and hygienists, front desk to the dental assistant, and from other healthcare professions outside of the dental office (social workers, physician assistants, speech pathologists, surgeons, etc.). According to Green and Johnson (2015), “collaboration occurs when 2 or more entities work together to produce a desired and shared outcome” (p. 1). In the healthcare field, interprofessional collaboration is a partnership between a team of healthcare providers and a client in a participatory collaborative and coordinated approach to share decision making around health and social issues (Bridges, 2011).
Dental hygienists are preventive specialists with honed communication skills and while we can become familiar with other professions, knowing how to provide enhanced quality, safety, and patient-centered care is warranted for total health and best practices. With the increasing use of technology in the healthcare field, collaboration among healthcare professionals via email and mobile devices has become more frequent than ever before. So how can you build strong interprofessional relationships? Below are 3 easy ways.
- Communication is Key! Clear communication with other healthcare professionals is often overlooked. Always be polite and respectful when talking to others on your team. This cannot be stressed enough! Leave your personal issues at the door before you begin your day at work. Have a clear understanding of each person’s role and what is expected in each role. Consciously defining each person’s role, their responsibilities, and success criteria within an interprofessional team can have an instant positive impact. It ensures that everyone knows what they are doing and the end goal will be accomplished. Although you are the oral health expert, you won’t always have all the answers. It’s okay to say, “I don’t know.” Not knowing all the answers doesn’t mean you aren’t knowledgeable. Patient health is often complex and requires the entire team to brainstorm potential solutions. Be honest and open to learning from each other’s expertise.
- Be an active listener. When we engage in active listening we dedicate our full attention to whomever is speaking so we can provide a thoughtful response. Listen to all parts of what is being said, analyze it, and evaluate what you heard. You are making mental judgments based on what you see, hear, and even read (patient charts, x-rays, etc.). Your goal as an active listener is to evaluate the message that is being said to decide for yourself if the information is valid. To do this follow the 3 aspects of active listening listed below: Comprehend. Pay attention to the speaker’s verbal and non-verbal language to fully understand what they are trying to say. Retain. The listener should try to remember key points of the speaker’s message using their memory or via note-taking (yes- you can take notes!). Respond. You respond to the speaker to confirm your understanding of their message and to further your discussion on the subject. This only happens after analyzing and remembering what they said.
- Netiquette. When communicating online always follow the basic rules of netiquette. Netiquette includes a set of guidelines that everyone should follow to promote appropriate online communication. Here are 5 rules to follow when responding to emails or posting in online secure patient portals. The 5 rules were created by Virginia Shea and detailed in the book “Core Rules of Netiquette.”
Rule 1: Remember the Human
When communicating electronically practice the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. Remember, your written words are read by real people, all deserving of respectful communication. Before you press "send" or "submit," ask yourself, "Would I be okay with this if someone else had written it?"
Rule 2: Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life
While it can be argued that standards of behavior may be different in the virtual world, they certainly should not be lower. You should do your best to act within the laws and ethical manners of society whenever you inhabit cyberspace.
Rule 3: Know where you are in cyberspace
Netiquette varies from domain to domain. Depending on where you are in the virtual world, the same written communication can be acceptable in one area, where it might be considered inappropriate in another. What you text to a friend may not be appropriate in an email to a colleague.
Rule 4: Respect other people's time and bandwidth
Electronic communication takes time: time to read and time in which to respond. Most people today lead busy lives, just like you do, and don't have time to read or respond to frivolous emails. Make your written communication meaningful and to the point, without extraneous text or superfluous graphics or attachments that may take forever to download.
Rule 5: Make yourself look good online
One of the best things about the virtual world is the lack of judgment associated with your physical appearance, sound of your voice, or the clothes you wear (unless you post a video of yourself singing Karaoke in a clown outfit.) You will, however, be judged by the quality of your writing, so keep the following tips in mind:
- Always check for spelling and grammar errors
- Know what you're talking about and state it clearly
- Be pleasant and polite
Interprofessional health care teams have become an integral part of the modern health care system. These teams enable interdependent health care providers to share needed expertise for making complex and important health care decisions. Effectively learning to communicate is an asset of any dental hygienist. Building strong interprofessional relationships requires good communication, being a good listener, and always following the basic rules of netiquette when interacting using technology.
In the Wichita State University, RDH to BSDH program, you will not only learn about interprofessional collaboration, you will also be exposed to information about the roles and responsibilities of health professionals in interprofessional education, ideal collaborative practice, communication techniques, and participate in case simulation activities.
Check out our website to get more information on the degree completion program.
References
- Bridges, D.R. (2011). Interprofessional collaboration: Three best practice models of interprofessional education. Medical Education Online, 16(10), 1-10. Doi:10.3402/meo.v16i0.6035
- Green, B. N., & Johnson, C. D. (2015). Interprofessional collaboration in research, education, and clinical practice: Working together for a better future. The Journal of Chiropractic Education, 29(1), 1-10. Doi: 10.7899/JCE-14-36
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