Palliative care teams: effective through moral reflection

Working as a multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary team is an essential condition to provide good palliative care. This widespread assumption is based on the idea that teamwork makes it possible to address the various needs of the patient and family more effectively. This article is about teamwork and about the effectiveness of teams working in palliative care. First, the nature of teamwork will be highlighted. Second, attention will be paid to team effectiveness; what exactly is team effectiveness and with what parameters can it be measured? Third, the nature of moral reflection and moral deliberation in palliative care will be highlighted. A concrete process of moral deliberation will be described. In conclusion, we shall argue that the capacity for moral reflection is a feature of a team working effectively.