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Multiprofessional collaboration in children's cancer care: believed to be a good thing but how do we know when it works well?

Multiprofessional collaboration in children's cancer care: believed to be a good thing but how do... Collaborative working, where care is delivered through teams of professionals working together, has become a central characteristic of services within children and young people's cancer care. The opportunities to share expertise and experience within the healthcare team throughout a child's care pathway have the potential to positively influence patient outcomes. Working within the field we can be certain of two important factors: (1) that no single profession can treat the complex physical and psychosocial needs of this population; and (2) that the multiprofessional team is a vital component of quality care for children and young people with cancer and their families ( Baggott & Kelly 2002 ). The need to share expertise, pool knowledge and cross traditional boundaries has been portrayed not as a choice, but as a necessary ingredient for the delivery of high‐quality care ( Department of Health 2001 ). However, in espousing collaboration as a ‘good thing’, we must be clear what we are talking about. Multiprofessional teams must not be confused with groups of professions who work independently but happen to liaise with one another over a period of time ( Scholes & Vaughan 2002 ). Instead, teamwork should be regarded as the central http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png European Journal of Cancer Care Wiley

Multiprofessional collaboration in children's cancer care: believed to be a good thing but how do we know when it works well?

European Journal of Cancer Care , Volume 18 (4) – Jul 1, 2009

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References (7)

Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
© 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd
ISSN
0961-5423
eISSN
1365-2354
DOI
10.1111/j.1365-2354.2009.01131.x
pmid
19594607
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Collaborative working, where care is delivered through teams of professionals working together, has become a central characteristic of services within children and young people's cancer care. The opportunities to share expertise and experience within the healthcare team throughout a child's care pathway have the potential to positively influence patient outcomes. Working within the field we can be certain of two important factors: (1) that no single profession can treat the complex physical and psychosocial needs of this population; and (2) that the multiprofessional team is a vital component of quality care for children and young people with cancer and their families ( Baggott & Kelly 2002 ). The need to share expertise, pool knowledge and cross traditional boundaries has been portrayed not as a choice, but as a necessary ingredient for the delivery of high‐quality care ( Department of Health 2001 ). However, in espousing collaboration as a ‘good thing’, we must be clear what we are talking about. Multiprofessional teams must not be confused with groups of professions who work independently but happen to liaise with one another over a period of time ( Scholes & Vaughan 2002 ). Instead, teamwork should be regarded as the central

Journal

European Journal of Cancer CareWiley

Published: Jul 1, 2009

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