Multidisciplinary Approach

Building a multidisciplinary team involves a range of professionals from different disciplines, working in harmony to provide care. 

At Explore and Soar, a multidisciplinary approach is about building a strong team around our families, in order to provide high quality, best evidence intervention, coaching and strategies to reach the desired outcomes of each individual and family. 

This process can be somewhat overwhelming but incredibly powerful and rewarding.  

So let’s start by talking about the definition of multidisciplinary care, in order to give you a little more detail on what’s involved.

The following definition outlines the objectives as well as some of the challenges involved in the provision of multidisciplinary team care:

Multidisciplinary care – when professionals from a range of disciplines work together to deliver comprehensive care that addresses as many of the patient’s needs as possible. This can be delivered by a range of professionals functioning as a team under one organisational umbrella or by professionals from a range of organisations, including private practice, brought together as a unique team. As a patient’s condition changes over time, the composition of the team may change to reflect the changing clinical and psychosocial needs of the patient.

Mitchell G.K., Tieman, J.J., and Shelby-James T.M. (2008), Multidisciplinary care planning and teamwork in primary care, Medical Journal of Australia, Vol. 188, No. 8, p.S63.

So now that we know what it involves, how do you find the right team?

Trying to navigate the world of health professionals and creating a seamless connection between each discipline can become somewhat arduous. Deciding on the right individuals that best suit your family and that work well together as a team can take years to build. Having a strong connection and trust with each member of your team is essential. 

It’s important to remember that nothing worth having, ever comes easily. Building the right team can take time and may mean that you will be seeing multiple different professionals until you find the right ones for you. 

But here is the key to successfully building a great multidisciplinary team – it all starts with just one connection and finding that first perfect fit.

Whether you are just starting your journey in the allied health world or you have been working with different professionals for years, exercise patience and keep searching for that first perfect fit. Once you find one professional that you trust, everything will change for the better. This will have a flow on effect with the rest of the required team members. Often if you find a great fit with your OT, they can then recommend a wonderful speech pathologist or physiotherapist that would be the best fit for your family. 

Personally, I too am building my own allied health team after my recent accident.

A team that I can trust, connect to and one that fits seamlessly with my values and goals. One that will support me as I continue to embark on my journey back to full health. In doing so, I have learnt the complexities behind my own injuries, long term implications and affects I will be working through and on, for the years to come. My own team is now quickly building around me in order to personally help me through these challenges, and this is what I hope and wish for you. A strong team to build you up, to inform, educate and support you in the decisions you make for you, your child and your family. 

Professionally speaking, working as a part of a multidisciplinary team brings me so much joy! I have been working alongside some fabulous and highly qualified clinicians for the last decade and have witnessed the benefits of multiple disciplines coming together first hand. 

As occupational therapists we work closely with a range of allied health professionals; speech pathologists, physiotherapists, psychologists and chiropractors, just to name a few. The real power of collaboration lies in open communication and the transference of strategies across our therapy intervention sessions. 

Our love for working within multidisciplinary teams to build support around our clients, families and communities continues to be one of our greatest strengths and passions at Explore and Soar. We are always looking at exploring the best ways to support our families. 

At Explore and Soar we are always listening to the needs of our clients. We pride ourselves on being able to assist you in building a high quality allied health team that achieves your desired goals. So please never hesitate to reach out and ask us any questions that you may have! We want nothing but the best for you, your child and your family – and we won’t stop until that is delivered with a team that you trust.

Over the next month you will see some posts on our social media detailing how occupational therapists work with other allied health professionals to achieve our clients goals. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook (links below) and learn about the ways in which a multidisciplinary team can work together to achieve your goals. 

Until next time,
Jess

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

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