Abstract
M.A.
Modern health-care services in general hospital settings are
often characterised by mUltidisciplinary and interdisciplinary
approaches to patient care. The underlying rationale of these
approaches lies in the potential pooling of specialised medical
resources from a variety of medical fields. Consequently there
is usually an increase in the diagnostic procedures available,
theoretically offering a more comprehensive health service.
Whilst the above approach is seen to be effective when the
health-car~ team specialists subscribe to one encompassing
paradigm, it is hypothesised that the existence of other
alternative paradigms may affect the efficacy of team work.
Using the interface between the Psychology and Renal units of
J.G. Strijdom Hospital as an example, this study describes the
effect of paradigmatic differences within a team approach on the
conceptualisation of problems and treatment choices.
The traditional medical approach is contrasted against a systems based
psychological approach. The existence of the two approaches
within a single team encounters difficulty in the gaining of
consensus regarding the level of focus.