Emergency medical staff's perceptions on cultural value difference-based teamwork issues: A phenomenological study in...

To explore how different cultural values are connected to teamwork between doctors and nurses in emergency departments (EDs) in China.

China is a multicultural society, which leads to different cultural values being represented within its population. Doctors and nurses from different cultural backgrounds bring their own cultural values to their workplaces that influence teamwork. EDs are medical treatment facilities designed to provide episodic care to patients suffering from acute injuries and illnesses. Doctors and nurses in EDs should not only be highly skilled but also be able to work as a team. Studies have shown that different cultural values are often the cause of poor teamwork. However, there has been little focus on this phenomenon in the literature on ED. Therefore, this study aimed to identify how cultural values are connected to teamwork in EDs.

Phenomenological study.

In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 doctors and 10 nurses in EDs from September to December 2018 in three large general hospitals in Shanghai.

Four major themes emerged from the data: leadership, communication, mutual support and staffing. Twelve sub-themes were identified (a) hierarchy between superiors and subordinates; (b) doctors as superiors; (c) Northerners are more powerful; (d) emphasizing etiquette; (e) traditionally feminine traits; (f) face-to-face communication; (g) collectivism; (h) being open-minded; (i) tense doctor-patient relationships; (j) clique culture; (k) high pressure; and (l) home culture.

Teamwork between doctors and nurses in EDs is influenced by different cultural values. Future research should be carried out to identify which factors are essential to improving teamwork among doctors and nurses in hospital EDs.

It is important to develop strategies to foster teamwork between doctors and nurses with different cultural values.