Interprofessional Health Care Teams in Geriatrics

Interprofessional teams organize health care for geriatric patients with complex, chronic problems. The interprofessional team provides care in which several disciplines coordinate assessment and treatment, so that problems can be dealt with consistently and comprehensively. Interprofessional teams are characterized by a nonhierarchical organization, in which responsibility for the effective functioning of the team is shared by all team members. Interprofessional teams go through a process of development that is described in this article, which also outlines the advantages and challenges of this approach. Educational and training resources are provided, and a case study is used to demonstrate this interprofessional approach.