Deciphering your healthcare team

Ever walked into your regular health care institution and wondered why there seems to be so many individuals?

Each of them is there for a reason. Women’s healthcare is best delivered by a team of professionals working to a common goal.

The spectrum of reproductive health is so wide that nothing short of combined efforts can provide optimal services.

A reproductive health team comprises of nurses, midwives, junior doctors, consultants and sub-specialists. Not to mention all manner of managers, support staff and auxiliary services that complete the whole team.

What you see at face value during consultations is just a tiny front of a complex system, with diverse team members all doing their best to keep you healthy.

Clinical leadership of the healthcare team is usually provided by a senior consultant, normally supported by a senior lead nurse or midwife.

These are the key people, together with top managers, who oversee overall quality of service delivery.

Next in line are section heads, who lead the various sub-divisions of women’s health. There may be a consultant in charge of obstetrics (pregnancy and delivery) and another one in charge of gynecology.

And depending on the size of the institution, there may be heads for fertility services, cancer services and other gynecology sub-specialties. All this is also supported by specialist nurses, laboratory, radiology and many other inter-twined services.

So how do you get the best out of such a big team without getting lost in between? It all starts with your reproductive health needs. It’s simpler if you have a referral from another healthcare provider; they are likely to direct you to the right team. It may be that your first contact is the receptionist. They, too, can direct you to the right path if you explain the kind of service you are seeking, without necessarily going into confidential details.

You should expect your team to provide you with the best of care. Look out for harmonious relationships among them. It should be apparent that the junior-most are treated with as much respect as the senior-most.

This should be obvious if you keenly observe both verbal and non-verbal interactions between the team members. You want to avoid a consultant who disrespects their personal assistants or office cleaners. No single member is more important than the other; they just play different but critical roles in your care. 

Cross-consultations in a diverse reproductive healthcare team equate to near optimal care. You should always be wary of know-it-all solo healthcare providers. Not a single individual can always be up to date, or even skilled with the whole range of reproductive health. What you want is a good team, with diverse skills and willingness to work together to provide you with the best care.