A study of the role of the rehabilitation team

Abstract

The aim of this study has been to explore the concept of rehabilitation as a team activity in the oncology setting. The researcher has interviewed 15 members of the rehabilitation team in a specialist oncology rehabilitation centre in the United Kingdom and observed the day-to-day activity in the centre. The grounded theory approach has been taken to data collection and analysis. Interviews were semistructured and tape-recorded, observations were recorded in the form of field notes; these and the tapes were used as working documents in the development of theory and transcribed for full analysis. Theories of team work and rehabilitation were developed, and subjected to further scrutiny and confirmation by participants. Staff recognized the existence of a team and sub-teams, which interacted in networks of care, communication and patient referral. Teams were seen as fluid, with merging and changing borders. Specialists remained individuals within the teams. The essence of rehabilitation was seen as the facilitation of the patient to become self-caring and to attain an optimal quality of life.

Qualified and unqualified nurses' views of the multidisciplinary team: findings of a large interview study

“…The benefit of multidisciplinary care has been noted in a variety of conditions including stroke recovery (Rudd, 1996) and cancer (David, 1993), with Jones (1993) finding that the absence of the team approach may result in some client and carer needs being unmet. More positively, Hutchinson er d. (1991) reported a high level of patient satisfaction with the care provided by a multidisciplinary cancer team among an opportunistic sample (n=93 outpatient attendees) although the survey only explored views regarding the constituent parts of the team without reviewing the total team care experience.…”

The price of oncology rehabilitation programs must be increased for allowing comprehensiveness and quality

“…When assistance is provided it is rarely adequate (Braillon, 2020b). Accordingly, rehabilitation programs must be comprehensive and with a team as stated three decades ago in the Journal by David (David, 1993). However, two decades later, Stubblefield and colleagues (Stubblefield et al, 2013) questioned the 'lack of comprehensive cancer rehabilitation programs, even at the majority of top cancer centers' and we must humbly acknowledge there is still not enough being done to include them (Braillon, 2020a).…”