Manitoba Health
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Interdisciplinary Teams
Encouraging Interdisciplinary Teams
Each health care professional has their own area of expertise and unique set of skills and knowledge. However, one must recognize that no one practice can accommodate all client needs and that the collaboration and combination of multiple disciplines can improve quality of care, increase the range of available services, decrease physician wait times, and lead to a comprehensive care plan for all.1 This is important to family physicians’ as when they collaborate with other health providers it allows them to use distinctive medical skills for more complex cases requiring medical diagnosis and interventions.2
At a PIN workshop on November 17th 2006, participants identified the wish to engage additional primary care providers within their practice; however, they were unsure of the roles and functions of these additional primary care providers. Working with the colleges and associations of various providers in Manitoba, Fact Sheets have been developed, outlining functions and roles of a variety of providers in the Primary Care Interdisciplinary Team Tool Kit 
. It is hoped that this toolkit willbe useful for Demonstration Sites as they develop strategies to address PIN objectives within their clinic.
The PIN team has also had a student researcher undertake a literature review of evidence pertaining to the effectiveness of interdisciplinary health care teams in primary care. This review can be accessed here.
1 Ontario Government. (2005). Guide to collaborative team practice. Family Health Team: Advancing Primary Health Care.
2 Leatt, P., Pink, G. H., Guerriere, M. (2000). Towards a Canadian model of integrated healthcare. Integrated Healthcare. 1(2)
Additional Resources
For more information on how to select and introduce additional team members, visit the College of Family Physicians of Canada’s Primary Care Toolkit for Family Physicians.
The Enhancing Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Primary Health Care (EICP) Initiative’s website also houses a Collaboration Toolkit.
The CMPA/CNPS Joint Statement on Liability Protection for Nurse Practitioners and Physicians in Collaborative Practice outlines important information regarding liability and risk management.
Click here for more information on what Manitoba Health is doing to encourage Collaborative Practice.
For more information on the role of nurses in the primary care settings, please view the Canadian Nurses Association Toolkit.
