Challenges of Inter-Professional Teamwork in Nigerian Healthcare

Abstract

Inter-professional teamwork in government owned hospitals and various healthcare institutions involving various Professionals such as Doctors, Pharmacists, Medical Laboratory Scientists, Medical Laboratory Technicians, Medical Laboratory Assistants, Nurses, Physiotherapists, Radiographers, Health Information Officers, Human Resources Managers, etc. is becoming a challenge leading to various strikes and labour protests in Nigeria. The patients and family relatives and host communities of such health institutions are becoming uncomfortable with quality of care due to inter-professional discord. This needs a critical discussion towards solving/looking into the challenges such as Personality differences, Health Leadership and Hierarchy, Disruptive behaviors, Culture and ethnicity, Generational differences, Gender, Historical inter-professional and intra-professional education, Fears of diluted professional identification, Differences in accountability, payment and rewards, Concerns regarding clinical roles and responsibilities, Complexity of care, Emphasis of rapid decision making, Service timing, with Associations and Unions. The exploration would provide solutions for better teamwork practice and improved patients care.