Reader Sees Need for Transdisciplinary Education Model in Palliative Care

I applaud Drs Dracup and Bryan-Brown for their vision and leadership in the editorial “Creating a New Tipping Point in Intensive Care” (November 2006: 537–539) and commend Drs McCauley and Irwin for the revolutionary model of care they describe in “Changing the Work Environment in Intensive Care Units to Achieve Patient-Focused Care: The Time Has Come” (November 2006: 541–548). As an oncology social worker in a department of nursing research and education, I believe passionately in the importance of developing transdisciplinary teamwork and fully support the well-articulated premise that a transformation in our model of healthcare delivery is essential if we are to provide quality critical care to our patients and their families.

However, as Drs Dracup and Bryan-Brown note, most professional education is discipline-specific and few professionals have received specific team-building or collaborative skills training. All this despite a growing body of literature that suggests that multidimensional concerns facing...