Visions of teamwork: the realities of an interdisciplinary approach

Despite studies that extol the value of multidisciplinary teamwork (Poulton and West, 1993; Pearson and Spencer, 1995), there have been few examples of in-depth research that provides evidence of ‘best practice’ in the clinical setting. This article presents evidence from two case studies that explore the realities of multidisciplinary teamwork. They were both set in neurorehabilitation units where there was an ‘integrated interdisciplinary approach’ to patient care. The authors differentiate between multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary working, since the latter would seem to better describe the teamwork that was witnessed; the two case studies are summarized; the elements of effective interdisciplinary teamwork that emerged from the data are listed; evidence from the cases which exemplified best practice is examined; and finally, the ways in which these aspects of interdisciplinary teamwork appeared to benefit the patient are described.