Analyzing How Discursive Practices Affect Physicians' Decision-Making Processes: A Phenomenological-Based Qualitative...

Area of Science:

• Medical Decision Making
• Healthcare Management
• Clinical Communication

Background:

• Intensive care units (ICUs) present complex, uncertain environments for physicians.
• Effective decision-making (DM) is crucial for patient outcomes in ICUs.
• Understanding physician DM processes is vital for improving healthcare practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the decision-making (DM) processes of ICU physicians.
• To understand how discursive practices influence DM regarding patient infectious status.
• To explore how different ICU environments shape physician discursive profiles.

Main Methods:

• Employed a phenomenological approach to study physician experiences.
• Utilized a naturalistic approach to observe real-world healthcare practices.
• Focused on the lived experiences of ICU physicians during decision-making.

Main Results:

• Identified a common framework influencing physician DM in ICUs.
• Discursive practices significantly affect the decision-making process.
• Variations in ICU environments lead to distinct discursive profiles among physicians.

Conclusions:

• Physician decision-making in ICUs is heavily influenced by communication and environment.
• Understanding discursive practices can enhance clinical decision-making in critical care.
• Further research into healthcare communication can optimize patient care in complex settings.