Teambuilding: a positive force in times of change

The health care system continues to undergo revolutionary changes in the 90's. Never before in this area have we seen so many changes occur so quickly in such a short period of time. Funding changes and decreases to hospitals are only one of the critical factors ultimately effecting patient care and the direction of health in the future. Staffing changes because of bumping due to seniority and redesign efforts have had an even greater impact on the day to day operation of a hospital unit. This article attempts to address some of these concerns with one practical process that is universally accepted and can be readily implemented. This process which is springing up in the literature and is fast becoming the popular term of this decade is that of "TEAMBUILDING". In the next few pages an interdisciplinary team will describe their successful efforts at teambuilding in one clinical program.