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Published on: January 15, 2017
A Team Approach to Patient-Centered Communication in the Emergency Department
Colleen K Gutman1,2, Joseph R Keebler3, Rosemarie Fernandez4
1Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
Summary
Patient-centered communication (PCC) in emergency departments (EDs) is challenging due to brief visits. Reframing PCC as a team process, involving all staff and patients, offers a new model for high-quality emergency care.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare communication
- Teamwork science
- Emergency medicine
Background:
- Traditional patient-centered communication (PCC) models are ill-suited for the fast-paced, unpredictable emergency department (ED) environment.
- The ED setting paradoxically increases the need for PCC while hindering its implementation.
- Existing models fail to address the unique dynamics of ED patient-clinician interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a novel conceptualization of PCC within the ED setting.
- To reframe PCC as a coordinated, interdisciplinary team process.
- To expand the scope of PCC research and intervention design for emergency care.
Main Methods:
- Drawing on the science of teamwork and team cognition.
- Applying the input-process-outcome-input model to ED communication.
- Conceptualizing the ED care team as a "swift-starting action team".
Main Results:
- Presents a team-based model for PCC in the ED.
- Integrates teamwork constructs to understand communication dynamics.
- Identifies a pathway for designing effective PCC interventions in emergency settings.
Conclusions:
- Conceptualizing PCC as a team process offers a viable framework for improving emergency care.
- This approach expands research avenues for PCC in high-acuity settings.
- Facilitating team-based PCC can enhance quality improvement initiatives in emergency medicine.
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