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Examining emergency department communication through a staff-based participatory research method: identifying barriers and solutions to meaningful change.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Cameron, KA; Engel, KG; McCarthy, DM; Buckley, BA; Mercer Kollar, LM; Donlan, SM; Pang, PS; Makoul, G; Tanabe, P; Gisondi, MA; Adams, JG
Published in: Annals of emergency medicine
December 2010

We test an initiative with the staff-based participatory research (SBPR) method to elicit communication barriers and engage staff in identifying strategies to improve communication within our emergency department (ED).ED staff at an urban hospital with 85,000 ED visits per year participated in a 3.5-hour multidisciplinary workshop. The workshop was offered 6 times and involved: (1) large group discussion to review the importance of communication within the ED and discuss findings from a recent survey of patient perceptions of ED-team communication; (2) small group discussions eliciting staff perceptions of communication barriers and best practices/strategies to address these challenges; and (3) large group discussions sharing and refining emergent themes and suggested strategies. Three coders analyzed summaries from group discussions by using latent content and constant comparative analysis to identify focal themes.A total of 127 staff members, including attending physicians, residents, nurses, ED assistants, and secretaries, participated in the workshop (overall participation rate 59.6%; range 46.7% to 73.3% by staff type). Coders identified a framework of 4 themes describing barriers and proposed interventions: (1) greeting and initial interaction, (2) setting realistic expectations, (3) team communication and respect, and (4) information provision and delivery. The majority of participants (81.4%) reported that their participation would cause them to make changes in their clinical practice.Involving staff in discussing barriers and facilitators to communication within the ED can result in a meaningful process of empowerment, as well as the identification of feasible strategies and solutions at both the individual and system levels.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Annals of emergency medicine

DOI

EISSN

1097-6760

ISSN

0196-0644

Publication Date

December 2010

Volume

56

Issue

6

Start / End Page

614 / 622

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Workforce
  • Physician-Patient Relations
  • Patient Care Team
  • Middle Aged
  • Medical Staff, Hospital
  • Medical Secretaries
  • Medical Errors
  • Male
  • Internship and Residency
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Cameron, K. A., Engel, K. G., McCarthy, D. M., Buckley, B. A., Mercer Kollar, L. M., Donlan, S. M., … Adams, J. G. (2010). Examining emergency department communication through a staff-based participatory research method: identifying barriers and solutions to meaningful change. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 56(6), 614–622. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2010.03.017
Cameron, Kenzie A., Kirsten G. Engel, Danielle M. McCarthy, Barbara A. Buckley, Laura Min Mercer Kollar, Sarah M. Donlan, Peter S. Pang, et al. “Examining emergency department communication through a staff-based participatory research method: identifying barriers and solutions to meaningful change.Annals of Emergency Medicine 56, no. 6 (December 2010): 614–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2010.03.017.
Cameron KA, Engel KG, McCarthy DM, Buckley BA, Mercer Kollar LM, Donlan SM, et al. Examining emergency department communication through a staff-based participatory research method: identifying barriers and solutions to meaningful change. Annals of emergency medicine. 2010 Dec;56(6):614–22.
Cameron, Kenzie A., et al. “Examining emergency department communication through a staff-based participatory research method: identifying barriers and solutions to meaningful change.Annals of Emergency Medicine, vol. 56, no. 6, Dec. 2010, pp. 614–22. Epmc, doi:10.1016/j.annemergmed.2010.03.017.
Cameron KA, Engel KG, McCarthy DM, Buckley BA, Mercer Kollar LM, Donlan SM, Pang PS, Makoul G, Tanabe P, Gisondi MA, Adams JG. Examining emergency department communication through a staff-based participatory research method: identifying barriers and solutions to meaningful change. Annals of emergency medicine. 2010 Dec;56(6):614–622.
Journal cover image

Published In

Annals of emergency medicine

DOI

EISSN

1097-6760

ISSN

0196-0644

Publication Date

December 2010

Volume

56

Issue

6

Start / End Page

614 / 622

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Workforce
  • Physician-Patient Relations
  • Patient Care Team
  • Middle Aged
  • Medical Staff, Hospital
  • Medical Secretaries
  • Medical Errors
  • Male
  • Internship and Residency