Remember multidisciplinary Care: You are not alone

Often an individual’s overall success is defined by their own contribution and their ability to include others to support them. Optimal patient care in nursing environment isn’t just about nursing ability to independently attend to their patient needs.

Being a nurse is more than performing nursing clinical skills; it also involves a lot of background work. Completing paperwork, chasing after other health care professionals, initiating referrals and much more. It is important that, as nurses, we understand the skills of other health care professionals.

Overall health awareness, how the body works, how the health system works and understanding other professional’s duties is very important in ensuring optimal patient-centred care.

When it comes to patient interaction with allied health care professionals, speciality nurses and other service nurses' awareness plays a big role in optimising patient exposure and overall quality of care.

A nurse's role is not always involved in direct care but often liaising and referring to suitable other professionals and services to provide  adequate treatment and services.

A professional's delivery of care can sometimes be limited by the amount they know about others in the same field  (health).

The more a nurse knows about other health care professions, the more confident they are in appropriately involving them in their patients' care. Referring patients to services beyond nursing duties is important in allowing more  adequate interventions outside of the nurse's skillset. This can further assist in ensuring patient-centred care.

Some of the common uncertainties I have witnessed that leads to inappropriate referrals .

• Difference between occupational therapist and physiotherapist?
• Role of a social worker.
• Role of a wound care nurse and podiatrist in wound care management.
• Knowledge about and referring to outside services such as PAC (Post-Acute Care) & HITH (Hospital in the Home) ?
• Role of speech pathology, beyond speech impairments and in dysphasia patients.
• Difference between osteopath and a chiropractor.
• Physiotherapy vs orthopaedics role in patient’s mobility.

Often patients are not seen by allied health. Time is not always the only contributing factor, often it is as simple as not what knowing the different allied health roles are or incorrectly understanding particular roles leading to inappropriate referrals.

What a nurse doesn't know sometimes is a missed opportunity for their patients.

Are novice nurses known to be less equipped in referring their patients to other professionals and services?

If so, what is the cause of the knowledge gap? Are students being taught enough about other professions within their degree? Are students being given enough experience with other professionals and working within a multidisciplinary team? Are health services keeping their staff up to date with triage services available?

Invest in awareness about other professionals' duties as you do for your own. While nursing encompassing all aspects of health. A multidisciplinary approach to care is important and as a nurse we play a vital role in initiating and ensuring multidisciplinary care is maintained.

But remember we all are in this together in supporting services of others. As a nurse we also play a vital role in ensuring our patients are adherent to allied health interventions. Therefore it’s important if your patient has been seen by allied health that you understand the outcome of their review so you can ensure they are compliant.

Unless nurses communicate with allied health practitioners and other service providers, most of the time they won’t know a patient will need their input and patients may be discharged based on primarily medical terms.

My advice to you

Be sure to review patients regularly, ask if they want a allied health review or service support so neither the patients or professionals time is wasted. Try and be equip about the services available to your patients,  by having a list or regularly refreshing your memory so you can refer your patient to other services to optimise the care they receive.

Know how particular professionals can assist you in your duties from wound dressings, to patient mobility, to activities of daily living, nutrition, to social circumstances to managing specific conditions such as diabetics, stoma care and etc. If you see a need not being met, or believe it requires further attention this is the first step in realising a referral may be required. Involve your colleagues in ensuring the appropriate professionals are involved in your patients care.