Theory and practice in interprofessional ethics: a framework for understanding ethical issues in health care teams.

Interprofessional teamwork is an essential and expanding form of health care practice. While moral issues arising in teamwork relative to the patient have been explored, the analysis of ethical issues regarding the function of the team itself is limited. This paper develops a conceptual framework for organizing and analyzing the different types of ethical issues in interprofessional teamwork.

Health care teams as metaphors: a preliminary study.

This pilot study attempted to uncover similarities and differences in perceptions of health care teams by the professionals who work in them and are affected by them. This study used a convenience sample of 125 health professionals from 14 disciplines to explore the types of general metaphors and sports metaphors that they apply to health care teams. Data were analyzed by gender, type of metaphor, and stated reasons for choosing a particular metaphor.

Case studies from purgatory: maladaptive behavior within geriatrics health care teams.

The practice of geriatrics frequently involves the services of an interdisciplinary team. Behavior of team members exists on a functional continuum, from adaptive to maladaptive. Health professionals readily identify maladaptive behaviors in patients, but may ignore or avoid such behavior in colleagues.

Development and testing of the Assessment of Living Skills and Resources (ALSAR) in elderly community-dwelling veterans.

The Assessment of Living Skills and Resources (ALSAR), an innovative instrumental activities of daily living tool, systematically evaluates the accomplishment of 11 tasks by separately rating patient skill and resource levels for each task and combining these levels to determine risk. The ALSAR was administered to 75 elderly veterans in a home care program. It predicted change to more supportive living arrangements and a more structured living environment, nursing home placement, hospitalization, and death during the 6-month study period.