ABSTRACT
Nurses rarely work in isolation. Typically, as illustrated in the case of Mrs White (Case 5.1), patients will find practitioners from more than one professional group involved in the delivery of their care. Although the range of professionals and practitioners will vary, it is unusual to find health care situations where
nurses are not involved. Thus it is a fact of professional life that nurses must work with others in the delivery of care. This recognition is the starting point for effective interprofessional working and it is no accident that in both acute and primary care settings, nurses are often ideally placed to take on responsibility for co-ordinating processes and procedures involving other professionals and practitioners.
