Factors influencing the effectiveness of health teams.

Group practice in health care delivery takes many forms. The term “group practice” usually refers to a group of pro­ fessionals who combine their resources in delivering treatment care to a patient population. Some of these groups are actively involved in preventive medicine efforts. Because of heavy work loads, more and more activities are being delegated to nurses, physicians assistants and, in some cases, community-based family health workers. One common condition in all of these settings is that a group is doing the “practicing.” The effectiveness of any group in any setting is related to both its capabilities to do the work and its ability to manage itself as an interdependent group of people. The central focus of this paper will be upon the internal dynamics involved when a collection of individuals attempts to function as a group. The objective is to provide a framework that will facilitate consid­ eration of several important issues involved in the more effective utilization of groups in delivering health care. We will begin by drawing upon the general body of knowl­ edge about groups and their dynamics developed within the behavioral sciences. Several key variables known to be of prime importance in any group situation will be discussed. Next, we will discuss the particular relevance of these variables to group medical practice.