EFFECTIVE MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAMWORK IN PRIMARY HEALTH-CARE

The nature and development of teamwork in primary health care is discu ssed and some barriers to effective teamwork identified. Theories of t eam effectiveness are outlined and methods of applying these to primar y health care teams are explored. The 'constituency approach' and the theory of team innovation are examined in more detail. Team-building i nterventions are described as one way of improving team effectiveness but their limitations are also acknowledged. The Health Education Auth ority primary health care team workshops are used as an example of a t eam-building intervention. Research at the MRC/ESRC Social and Applied Psychology Unit, Sheffield University, is described. This is evaluati ng the outcomes of the primary health care team workshops in terms of team effectiveness. The research will measure viability (the extent to which the team sufficiently sustains good relationships to continue w orking together) and team performance (achievement of desired outcomes ) pre and post workshop. Team effectiveness will be measured through t eam self-assessment, patient satisfaction and family health service au thority designated targets for health promotion. The overall aim is to develop a model of team effectiveness for primary health care teams, which can then be used to diagnose and guide teams in their work.