Healthcare is essentially built on the principles of teamwork. It is one of the ancient professions of the world, which by design revolves around the knowledge and practice of several mutually dependent professionals. However, as modern medicine has become more advanced and specialized, care is localized. With the advent of several single specialty players, there is a clear demand for specialized and dedicated care for individualized medical conditions. But fundamentally, human body needs to be treated in whole, not as parts of the whole. This becomes more relevant in the context of rehabilitation. During the process of recuperation, several functions of the body must simultaneously align towards the overall recovery of an individual. Therefore, rehabilitation or recovery care must be multidisciplinary in nature.
Rehabilitation involves a set of collective measures aimed to overcome the physical and psychological impact caused by any form of disability in a patient. It is essentially a problem-solving process involving several healthcare professionals including physician, physiotherapist, speech therapist, dietitian, occupational therapist, rehabilitation nurse, psychologist etc. In order to regain and maintain optimum functioning of the body, most healthcare practitioners recommend seeking recovery care from an organized setting where professionals from different disciplines work towards a common goal.
Evidences have been found to prove the efficacy of multidisciplinary rehabilitation for a variety of conditions from neurology like stroke, spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and others, orthopedic conditions like joint replacements and fractures, and other specilities like cardiology, oncology and pulmonology
Listed below are reasons to consider multidisciplinary care for recovery:
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Quick decision making among practitioners to decide on and implement the course of care. This will minimize communication gaps and help in understanding the complete medical profile of the patient.
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Diverse skills and wealth of experience are pooled together to recuperate a single patient. Therefore, a patient is guaranteed of getting the best possible form of care.
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More cost-efficient and convenient for the patients. One can benefit from expert care of varied range of mediacal professionals at a single facility, in affordable prices
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In a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme, patients and caregivers are integral components of the care ecosystem. This means, the clinical team works like a family to design and develop the course of the treatment customized to the nature and pace of recovery of the patient
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Appreciation and incorporation of learning from other disciplines allows professionals to work on integrated interventions instead of isolated tasks
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Communication between the care provider and the patients family can be more easeful and comprehensive
Recovery is all about progression, so is teamwork. In multidisciplinary rehabilitation, tasks are divided among skilled professionals to multiply the rate of recovery, through coordinated care.