| Teaching operating room conflict management to surgeons: clarifying the optimal approach. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 21848722 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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CONTEXT: Conflict management has been identified as an essential competence for surgeons as they work in operating room (OR) teams; however, the optimal approach is unclear. Social science research offers two alternatives, the first of which recommends that task-related conflict be managed using problem-solving techniques while avoiding relationship conflict. The other approach advocates for the active management of relationship conflict as it almost always accompanies task-related conflict. Clarity about the optimal management strategy can be gained through a better understanding of conflict transformation, or the inter-relationship between conflict types, in this specific setting. The purpose of this study was to evaluate conflict transformation in OR teams in order to clarify the approach most appropriate for an educational conflict management programme for surgeons. METHODS: A constructivist grounded theory approach was adopted to explore the phenomenon of OR team conflict. Narratives were collected from focus groups of OR nurses and surgeons at five participating centres. A subset of these narratives involved transformation between and within conflict types. This dataset was analysed. RESULTS: The results confirm that misattribution and the use of harsh language cause conflict transformation in OR teams just as they do in stable work teams. Negative emotionality was found to make a substantial contribution to responses to and consequences of conflict, notably in the swiftness with which individuals terminated their working relationships. These findings contribute to a theory of conflict transformation in the OR team. CONCLUSIONS: There are a number of behaviours that activate conflict transformation in the OR team and a conflict management education programme should include a description of and alternatives to these behaviours. The types of conflict are tightly interwoven in this setting and thus the most appropriate management strategy is one that assumes that both types of conflict will exist and should be managed actively. |
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Authors:
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David Rogers; Lorelei Lingard; Margaret L Boehler; Sherry Espin; Mary Klingensmith; John D Mellinger; Nancy Schindler |
Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Medical education Volume: 45 ISSN: 1365-2923 ISO Abbreviation: Med Educ Publication Date: 2011 Sep |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2011-08-18 Completed Date: 2011-12-15 Revised Date: 2012-02-16 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 7605655 Medline TA: Med Educ Country: England |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 939-45 Citation Subset: IM |
Copyright Information:
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© Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2011. |
Affiliation:
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Department of Surgery, Faculty of School of Medicine, Southern Illinois University, Springfield, IL 67294, USA. drogers@siumed.edu |
Export Citation:
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APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Adult Attitude of Health Personnel* Clinical Competence / standards* Cooperative Behavior Equipment and Supplies / supply & distribution Female Humans Interprofessional Relations* / ethics Male Negotiating / methods* Operating Rooms / manpower, standards* Patient Care Team / standards* Physicians / psychology, standards Problem Solving Quality of Health Care / standards |
| Comments/Corrections | |
Comment In:
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Med Educ. 2012 Feb;46(2):234
[PMID:
22239337
]
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From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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