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ABSTRACT: Objectives
Identify the strategies implemented by emergency care professionals when facing tension and interpersonal violence from patients and their friends and family.Design
Descriptive qualitative study based on 38 semidirective interviews.Participants
Doctors, nurses, nursing assistants and administrative staff.Setting
Four emergency departments (EDs) from three French university hospitals.Results
According to the medical professionals interviewed, the difficulties that they encounter with patients or their accompanying family members can be explained by a lack of understanding of the functioning of EDs, by a general increase in individualistic behaviours leading to a lack of civility or by deviant behaviours (related to toxic substance abuse or mental illness). While managing deviant behaviours may sometimes require a collective intervention, ED staff also implement what are essentially individual communication strategies (with the use of rational explanation, seduction and empathy), confrontation or flight to deal with interpersonal difficulties.Conclusions
Strategies used by staff members tend to be individualised for the most part, and some, such as confrontational or escape strategies, may not be adapted to all situations. In the face of difficulties between staff and patients, mediators, specialised in resolving conflict, could entrust some cases to professionals.Trial registration number
ClinicalTrials.gov Registry (NCT03139110).
SUBMITTER: Charrier P
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7871700 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Charrier Philippe P Occelli Pauline P Buchet-Poyau Karine K Douplat Marion M Delaroche-Gaudin Marine M Fayard-Gonon Florence F Jacquin Laurent L Potinet Véronique V Sigal Alain A Tazarourte Karim K Touzet Sandrine S
BMJ open 20210208 2
<h4>Objectives</h4>Identify the strategies implemented by emergency care professionals when facing tension and interpersonal violence from patients and their friends and family.<h4>Design</h4>Descriptive qualitative study based on 38 semidirective interviews.<h4>Participants</h4>Doctors, nurses, nursing assistants and administrative staff.<h4>Setting</h4>Four emergency departments (EDs) from three French university hospitals.<h4>Results</h4>According to the medical professionals interviewed, the ...[more]