The Value of Teamwork in Health Care

One positive legacy of the pandemic is a renewed understanding of the value of teamwork across the health-care system. COVID-19 has created a novel opportunity for collaboration across health organizations, industries, academia and governments and has irrefutably demonstrated the value of partnering to deliver new and improved solutions for ongoing health-care challenges.

For positive outcomes of teamwork to be achieved, health-care staff need a clear vision, enabling them to focus on a unified direction in setting service goals and action planning.

Research by the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation found teams function better when there is a clear purpose and they are empowered to implement protocols and procedures. When team work can contribute to more successful health-care processes, the end result is improved patient care outcomes.

The benefits of strong health-care teams

In research published by the HRH Global Resource Center, team work was a powerful strategy for delivering improved health care to patients. There are a few key reasons for this:

1. Health care is becoming more complex, forcing staff to deliver multifaceted health services and quickly learn new processes. When that complexity is considered – along with the pressures of aging populations, the increase of chronic diseases, pandemic planning, etc. – an effective multidisciplinary approach based on team work can address these challenges and increase patient satisfaction.
2. A strong team communicates effectively. In turn, this can lead to reduced errors and increased levels of patient trust and confidence in health-care staff and the care they are receiving.

Connect with the professional talent you need

The UBC Master of Health Leadership & Policy (MHLP) is an intense graduate program that requires graduates to demonstrate remarkable teamwork, collaboration and communication skills. That means that when you hire an MHLP graduate you are hiring an individual that truly appreciates the benefits of a team approach and a collaborative work environment – they know that when health care staff come together, it’s the patient that benefits.

If you’re looking to strengthen your health-care team with an individual who can make a positive difference from day one, make the MHLP designation one of your must-have job selection criteria.

Contact  us by emailing to hire.mhlp@ubc.ca, to learn how you can access our MHLP Alumni Network to find your next hire.