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Factors Affecting Interprofessional Teamwork in Emergency Department Care of Polytrauma Patients: Results of an
Alexandra Lapierre1, Hélène Lefebvre, Jérôme Gauvin-Lepage
1Faculty of Nursing, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Insights
Effective interprofessional teamwork (IPT) is vital for polytrauma patient care. This study identified individual, relational, processual, organizational, and contextual factors influencing collaboration among emergency department trauma teams.
Area of Science:
- Emergency Medicine
- Healthcare Management
- Teamwork and Collaboration Studies
Background:
- Traumatic injuries are a leading global cause of death in young adults.
- Optimized emergency department care for polytrauma patients is critical for preventing premature mortality.
- Existing research indicates significant gaps in interprofessional collaboration within trauma teams, impacting care quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore interprofessional teamwork (IPT) in the emergency department care of polytrauma patients.
- To identify factors that facilitate and impede IPT from the perspective of healthcare professionals.
- To understand IPT using a specific conceptual framework.
Main Methods:
- A qualitative descriptive exploratory study design was employed.
- Data were gathered through individual interviews and a focus group with 7 health professionals.
- Structured observations of 2 polytrauma patient care incidents were conducted.
Main Results:
- Thematic analysis revealed multiple factors influencing IPT.
- These factors were categorized into individual, relational, processual, organizational, and contextual domains.
- Individual factors, not initially part of the framework, were found to significantly impact IPT.
Conclusions:
- Understanding the multifaceted factors influencing IPT is essential for improving polytrauma patient care.
- Addressing individual, relational, processual, organizational, and contextual elements can enhance trauma team collaboration.
- Further research should consider the significant role of individual factors in interprofessional teamwork.
Abstract:
Considering that traumatic injuries are the leading cause of death among young adults across the globe, emergency department care of polytrauma patients is a crucial aspect of optimized care and premature death prevention. Unfortunately, many studies have highlighted important gaps in collaboration among different trauma team professionals, posing a major quality-of-care challenge. Using the conceptual framework for interprofessional teamwork (IPT) of , the aim of this qualitative descriptive exploratory study was to better understand IPT from the perspective of health professionals in emergency department care of polytrauma patients, specifically by identifying factors that facilitate and impede IPT. Data were collected from a sample of 7 health professionals involved in the care of polytrauma patients through individual interviews and a focus group. In the second phase, 2 structured observations of polytrauma patient care were conducted. Following a thematic analysis, results revealed multiple factors affecting IPT, which can be divided into 5 broad categories: individual, relational, processual, organizational, and contextual. Individual factors, a category that is not part of the conceptual framework of , also emerged as playing a major part in IPT.
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