Multidisciplinary team malfunctioning on a state hospital unit: a case study

The use of multidisciplinary teams in the care of psychiatric patients can be countertherapeutic unless attention is paid to the dynamics of team functioning. The authors present a case study of team malfunctioning on an inpatient unit in a state hospital that resulted from staff's role confusion and insecurity. Patient care was relegated to second place as major interpersonal conflicts among the staff were played out along ethnic and cultural lines. Resolution of the conflicts required identifying their source, clarifying staff roles, and initiating a special inservice training program focused primarily on the needs of paraprofessional staff.