Multidisciplinary approach to mental health issues, how a physiotherapist fits into the team: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
== Introduction == | == Introduction == | ||
One of the statutory functions of the Mental Health Commission is to foster and promote high standards of care and best practice in the delivery of mental health services. Planning for the Future (Department of Health, 1984) recommended the establishment of multidisciplinary teams as “different approaches to treatment, and the participation of people from a number of professional disciplines are required to cater adequately for the needs of the mentally ill”. It recommended psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses, psychologists, social workers and occupational therapists should form “psychiatric teams” to provide comprehensive treatment and care for the mentally ill. | |||
A key strength of multidisciplinary teams is that the combined expertise of a range of mental health professionals is used to deliver seamless, comprehensive care to the individual. The research evidence supports a multidisciplinary team working as the most effective means of delivering a comprehensive mental health service to people with mental health problems, especially those with long-term mental health problems (Tyrer, 1998). | |||
According to one of the four guiding principles of the Health Strategy Quality and Fairness: A Health System for You (2001) – person-centeredness, describes very well the central aim of providing mental health care through a multidisciplinary team. A person-centred health system is described in the Health Strategy as one which “identifies and responds to the needs of the individual, is planned and delivered in a coordinated way, and helps individuals to participate in decision making to improve their health”. Mental health services have been to the fore in providing this type of person-centred care for some time. The starting point is the individual using a mental health service. Individuals with mental health problems often have a wide range of needs that may be social and psychological. They wish to have access not just to doctors and nurses, but to psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists and other therapists. They want access to the range of interventions offered by this variety of mental health professionals<ref name=":0">Multidisciplinary Team Working: From Theory to Practice; Discussion Paper; Mental Health Commission January 2006</ref>. | |||
== The rationale for multidisciplinary team working == | == The rationale for multidisciplinary team working == | ||
Since the 1950’s mental health care has moved from the mental hospital to community-based care. This movement was the result of improvements in pharmacological treatments along with key social, political and economic trends. These included increasing emphasis on human rights, understanding of the detrimental effects of institutionalisation, the involvement of family and service user organisations, value for money, and the influence of the therapeutic community movement. The latter emphasised the social determinants of mental illness stressing the role of relationships in treatment (Burns, 2001). | |||
The need to establish community-based alternatives to hospital treatment and to ensure the coordinated health and social care for the severely mentally ill established the multidisciplinary team as a central feature of virtually all forms of modern mental health care<ref name=":0" />. | |||
=== What is multidisciplinary teamwork? === | === What is multidisciplinary teamwork? === | ||
The multidisciplinary team is members of different professions working together. There are different definitions and descriptions which capture important features of multidisciplinary work. A team is described as a group of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach, for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. According to Jefferies & Chan (2004), Multidisciplinary team working is described as the main mechanism to ensure truly holistic care for patients and a seamless service for patients throughout their disease trajectory and across the boundaries of primary, secondary and tertiary care”. | |||
According to Junor, Hole & Gillis ( 1994 ), multidisciplinary team working is known to “maximise clinical effectiveness”. The teamwork just doesn't happen magically. | |||
The teams need: | |||
* Need to have shared goals and values, | |||
* Need to understand and respect the competencies of other team members, | |||
* Need to learn from other disciplines and respect their different views and perspectives. | |||
Individual team members may need to reassess exclusive claims to specialist knowledge and authority in order to form effective multidisciplinary teams which can provide the best possible care to the individual service user<ref name=":0" />. | |||
==== Why are multidisciplinary teams important? ==== | ==== Why are multidisciplinary teams important? ==== | ||
Revision as of 15:13, 24 September 2018
Introduction[edit | edit source]
One of the statutory functions of the Mental Health Commission is to foster and promote high standards of care and best practice in the delivery of mental health services. Planning for the Future (Department of Health, 1984) recommended the establishment of multidisciplinary teams as “different approaches to treatment, and the participation of people from a number of professional disciplines are required to cater adequately for the needs of the mentally ill”. It recommended psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses, psychologists, social workers and occupational therapists should form “psychiatric teams” to provide comprehensive treatment and care for the mentally ill.
A key strength of multidisciplinary teams is that the combined expertise of a range of mental health professionals is used to deliver seamless, comprehensive care to the individual. The research evidence supports a multidisciplinary team working as the most effective means of delivering a comprehensive mental health service to people with mental health problems, especially those with long-term mental health problems (Tyrer, 1998).
According to one of the four guiding principles of the Health Strategy Quality and Fairness: A Health System for You (2001) – person-centeredness, describes very well the central aim of providing mental health care through a multidisciplinary team. A person-centred health system is described in the Health Strategy as one which “identifies and responds to the needs of the individual, is planned and delivered in a coordinated way, and helps individuals to participate in decision making to improve their health”. Mental health services have been to the fore in providing this type of person-centred care for some time. The starting point is the individual using a mental health service. Individuals with mental health problems often have a wide range of needs that may be social and psychological. They wish to have access not just to doctors and nurses, but to psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists and other therapists. They want access to the range of interventions offered by this variety of mental health professionals[1].
The rationale for multidisciplinary team working[edit | edit source]
Since the 1950’s mental health care has moved from the mental hospital to community-based care. This movement was the result of improvements in pharmacological treatments along with key social, political and economic trends. These included increasing emphasis on human rights, understanding of the detrimental effects of institutionalisation, the involvement of family and service user organisations, value for money, and the influence of the therapeutic community movement. The latter emphasised the social determinants of mental illness stressing the role of relationships in treatment (Burns, 2001).
The need to establish community-based alternatives to hospital treatment and to ensure the coordinated health and social care for the severely mentally ill established the multidisciplinary team as a central feature of virtually all forms of modern mental health care[1].
What is multidisciplinary teamwork?[edit | edit source]
The multidisciplinary team is members of different professions working together. There are different definitions and descriptions which capture important features of multidisciplinary work. A team is described as a group of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach, for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. According to Jefferies & Chan (2004), Multidisciplinary team working is described as the main mechanism to ensure truly holistic care for patients and a seamless service for patients throughout their disease trajectory and across the boundaries of primary, secondary and tertiary care”.
According to Junor, Hole & Gillis ( 1994 ), multidisciplinary team working is known to “maximise clinical effectiveness”. The teamwork just doesn't happen magically.
The teams need:
- Need to have shared goals and values,
- Need to understand and respect the competencies of other team members,
- Need to learn from other disciplines and respect their different views and perspectives.
Individual team members may need to reassess exclusive claims to specialist knowledge and authority in order to form effective multidisciplinary teams which can provide the best possible care to the individual service user[1].
