Postdoctoral Dental Education

Multidisciplinary Team Care

Introduction

Objectives

Healthcare teams allows for the expansion of healthcare expertise beyond the single or solo provider or practitioner. Healthcare teams have the ability to go beyond the knowledge of one practitioner or the resources available to one practitioner. Team healthcare delivery improves communication and networking, which areessential for comprehensive and effective treatment planning and patient care. In addition healthcare team planning and teaming reduces the sense of provider isolation in rural areas that is common in many dental practices.

The focus of a healthcare team is the patient and this is what makes these teams different from teams found in other businesses. Whether your team works in a private dental office, a community health center, or a special patient clinic in a hospital they all have common characteristics.

The following are some basic elements that are essential to building an effective health care team.