Trapped between doing and being: first providers' experience of "front line" work

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Healthcare Management
• Nursing and Patient Care

Background:

• Research on Emergency Department (ED) work often focuses on physicians, patient relations, triage, and nursing care.
• Limited research exists on the experiences of various frontline healthcare professionals in the ED.
• Understanding the unique challenges faced by initial responders is crucial for optimizing ED operations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and understand the experiences of nurse assistants, registered nurses, and physicians working as the first provider on the ED frontline.
• To explore the multifaceted nature of being the initial point of contact in emergency care.
• To identify key aspects of the frontline ED experience from the perspective of diverse healthcare professionals.

Main Methods:

• A reflective lifeworld research approach was employed.
• Data were collected through eight open-ended interviews with frontline ED providers.
• The study examined four distinct caring situations within the ED.

Main Results:

• Being the first provider involves a dynamic interplay between performing critical, life-saving interventions and cultivating patient and family relationships.
• Frontline providers experience significant time pressure due to the urgency of their roles.
• Providers develop various coping strategies to manage the demanding and complex nature of their work.

Conclusions:

• The frontline ED experience is characterized by a continuous balancing act between immediate medical needs and psychosocial care.
• Time pressure is a significant stressor for frontline ED staff.
• There is a need to redesign internal work processes within Emergency Departments to better support frontline providers and mitigate stress.