The pastoral care of the hysterectomy patient : the prospects of a multi-disciplinary approach.

Abstract

One purpose of teamwork is to pool the skills of individuals in order to produce a better result than that which could be achieved by each individual working on their own. The total effect should therefore be greater. Such sharing of knowledge permits the development of multidisciplinary teamwork. However, the mere existence of a number of different professionals does not guarantee teamwork. Traditional professional boundaries may be threatened and such interchange will only take place in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect. Multiple individual consultations may lead to confusion about who is responsible for what. It may also lead to the possibility of repetition and overlap. Teamwork therefore is seldom easy but can be satisfying despite some personal loss of professional autonomy. The multi-disciplinary approach is an opportunity for supporting a patient within the framework of realistic expectations for the outcome of any intervention for a patient or family. The biopsychopastoral approach to patient care is intimately associated with psychology, medicine and theology. This approach differentiate the following separate aspects: emotional care, informational care and counselling. Although the final goal of therapy the ultimate well-being of the patient is, each of the discipliners in the team should have separate clear objectives. Problems are however always complex and changing and no person in the team is likely to have all the answers all the time. The biopsychopastoral model provides an approach to the understanding of the physical disease, psychological problems and theological questions, and of their assessment and management. It outlines the way that all the systems function, whether they are biological, psychological or theological and views health care problems in a holistic way.