The notion of the interdisciplinary team
as integral to the delivery of palliative
care emerges clearly and consistently
in palliative care philosophy and practice
discourses (Connor, 1998; Cummings,
1998). The World Health Organization's
(WHO, 2002) recently revised definition
of palliative care articulates specifically the
need for a team approach to address the
needs of patients and families. Within this
definition, the team is responsible for complete
patient and family care from intake
through death and bereavement support.
Woltermann (1998) takes this a stage
further by arguing that fulfillment of the
philosophy of palliative care, with its
emphasis on maximizing quality of life
and the relief of physical, psychosocial and
spiritual suffering, can only be achieved in
practice via the interdisciplinary healthcare
team (Connor, 1998).