This 7-year retrospective study involved two medical residents (junior vs. The team consisted of attending physicians in charge, a nurse practitioner, a case manager, a dietitian, a pharmacist, a social worker, registered respiratory therapists, and a nursing staff. asked whether junior versus senior medical residents provided worse care in a respiratory care center (RCC) where there was a consistent “team” in place utilizing an established “weaning protocol”. Respiratory team offered consistent care irrespective of whether a junior or senior resident rotates through the service We must continue to work with our hospital administrators to ensure that these “multidisciplinary teams” stay together for the “greater good” of the patient, “staff,” and the institution. Additional benefits for the “staff” include improved job performance, reduced AE/complications, reduced costs, and increased job satisfaction, while the “staff” and hospitals benefit from greater retention of experienced personnel. including morbidity/mortality), improves patient outcomes, decreases patient length of stay (LOS), and increases patient satisfaction. Utilizing such cohesive teams limits adverse events (AE) (e.g. characterized by the “I am too important because I am…”), break down communication barriers between specialists, and provide better cooperation among all specialists. These “teams,” acting as “well-oiled machines,” counteract the “silo or halo effect” (e.g. These “teams” are consistently more effective than randomly assigning staff to the emergency room (ER), the floors, the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), the operating room (OR), or other locals. Hospital-based “multidisciplinary teams” often involve all levels of “staff” on the treatment pyramid including aides, nurses, physician assistants, physical therapists, social workers, anesthesiologists, and attending physicians.

Team operating principles template