The multidisciplinary team

Respiratory services should be delivered in an integrated way, taking into account the overlap in patient population and in the personnel providing care. The majority of patients with respiratory disease are cared for by a team of health professionals from both primary and secondary care. Respiratory nurses work as part of the multidisciplinary team. This team includes doctors, ward-based, and outpatient nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, lung-function technicians, community pharmacists, social services and, of course, the patient, and their family and carers. This chapter outlines the responsibilities and contributions of each member of the multidisciplinary team in providing respiratory services.