Interchangeability in Military Interprofessional Health Care Teams: Lessons Into Collective Self-healing and the Benefits Thereof

Abstract

Interchangeability—i.e., the capacity to change places with another—is necessary for military interprofessional health care teams (MIHTs) to provide around-the-clock patient care. However, while interchangeability is clearly a necessity for modern health care delivery, it raises uncomfortable questions for civilian health care teams where it is usually labeled as unsafe. This perception surfaces because interchangeability runs counter to some of health care’s cultural beliefs including those around patient ownership and professional scopes of practice. It is, therefore, not surprising that little is known about whether and how some level of interchangeability can be harnessed to improve the productivity of health care teams overall. In this article, we explore the notion of interchangeability in the particular context of MIHTs given that these health care teams are familiar with it. This exploration will offer insights into how interchangeability could maximize civilian health care teams’ capacity to adapt.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Oct 26, 2021
Source ID
10.1093/milmed/usab122

Entities

People

  • Emily Field
  • Karlen S. Bader-Larsen
  • Lara Varpio
  • Sayra Cristancho

Organizations

  • Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine
  • Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
  • Western University

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Medicine

Readers

  • Medical or Health Care Field.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Systems Analysis and Design