Zur Teamarbeit in der manuellen Medizin als Teil der Funktionsmedizin

Manual medicine and therapy are organized on the basis of a division of labor between specialists, physiotherapists, and other professional groups. In addition, specialization requires the cooperation of various specialist disciplines in order to provide optimal patient care for many clinical pictures, functional limitations, and pain. Manual medicine and therapy are currently undergoing an important development process. In order to become an integral part of functional medicine, which is becoming increasingly important, manual medical examination and treatment procedures must be integrated into the various medical specialties. In this sense, the specialist physician or physiotherapist is a team player and works in partnership with other experts as well as the patient. In the inpatient and outpatient sectors, different aspects apply to the collaboration between manual medicine specialists and other medical experts as well as representatives of the healthcare professions, which should be taken into account in the various phases of team building. These six phases of team building are the focus of the current article. The aim is to present both the challenges of and approaches to teamwork. If team building is successful, doctors and therapists respect the competence, views and autonomy of all. This is reflected in symmetrical communication; the ability to cooperate, integrate, and resolve conflicts; interdisciplinarity and interprofessionalism; social competence; and mutual trust. Team performance has an impact on both patients and staff. The individual character of each group is essential; for example, there are practice communities, departments and working groups that work together in a goal-oriented manner. There are differences in terms of working atmosphere, effectiveness, and efficiency. External and internal factors influence the cooperation and relationship density of the individual team members. In view of the increasing importance of teamwork, there is a need to incorporate subject-specific aspects of interdisciplinary cooperation into further training in manual medicine and therapy. In addition, the relevant specialist disciplines should be able to take advantage of relevant further training opportunities. Teamwork is not an end in itself but should serve to improve patient care and the satisfaction of team members.