Interprofessional Collaboration: Bridging the Gap in the Legal Field

We’ve all heard the term interprofessional collaboration. As a nurse, I have heard this term A LOT. In the healthcare field this is the golden standard when caring for patients. This term is commonly used when different individuals in healthcare collaborate about patient care. For example, a physician, nurse, and physical therapist discussing their recent hip replacement patient.

However, what if interprofessional collaboration took place outside of just healthcare?

What if healthcare individuals collaborated with individuals in other professions such as the legal field to improve client outcomes and increase attorney productivity?

For example, collaboration between a nurse and an attorney regarding a medical case.

According to Green and Johnson (2015), “interprofessional collaboration occurs when 2 or more professions work together to achieve common goals, and is often used as a means for solving a variety of problems and complex issues”. Collaboration allows for the participants to achieve more together than they could individually to help more individuals or attain a better outcome.

No one knows everything. Communication and collaboration between disciplines is so important to improve outcomes.

Additionally, when we focus on the areas we excel at and collaborate with individuals who can help with our lesser knowledgeable areas, we improve our productivity and as a result – our outcomes.

Let's use an example in the legal field when a client presents with a case involving a large volume of medical records spanning decades. An attorney or their paralegal could hunker down and go through each record trying to connect the dots to build the case. Or, they could seek out a healthcare professional who has that medical background and knowledge to delve into the records, picking out the important facts in half the time.

It is all about how you look at it.

When my car breaks down, I don’t waste time trying to fix it. Because while I may be able to patch it together and make it another 100 miles, I KNOW that the professional mechanic will be able to make it go for another 100,000. So, I spend a little upfront to reap the benefits at the end.

Just remember, no one knows everything.

And we all could use a little interprofessional collaboration to keep us running.

If you have a legal case involving medical records, contact Weiser Nurse Consulting. Our team will review and analyze those records, saving you time, and increasing the bottom line for your client.

Green, B.N., & Johnson, C.D. (2015). Interprofessional collaboration in research, education, and clinical practice: Working together for a better future. Journal of Chiropractic Education, 29(1), 1-10. DOI 10.7899/JCE-14-36 www.journalchiroed.com.