View in EDS HTML Full Text PDF Full Text

'Untangling the web of critical incidents': Ethnography in a paediatric setting.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: 'Untangling the web of critical incidents': Ethnography in a paediatric setting.
Authors: Hunter, Cynthia L. (AUTHOR), Spence, Kaye (AUTHOR), Scheinberg, Adam (AUTHOR)
Source: Anthropology & Medicine. Aug2008, Vol. 15 Issue 2, p91-103. 13p.
Subjects: Hospital wards, Medical personnel, Patients, Children's hospitals, Hospitals, Ethnology research, Social interaction, Pediatrics
Geographic Terms: Australia
Abstract: Critical incidents (CIs) are the elements that bring about an alert or wake up call for clinicians in hospital wards. They are considered critical because the safety of patients, staff or visitors is at risk. Not all CIs result in dire consequences, nor do they require Root Cause Analysis (RCA). Nonetheless, incidents affect patients and involve clinicians' interactions with each other. This paper describes the complexities embedded in two CIs in a major paediatric hospital in Australia. An anthropological ethnographic research approach enabled the researcher to observe, document, interpret and make sense of the activities of clinicians in two different clinical areas of the hospital, i.e., the Rehabilitation Unit and the Neonatal Unit (NU). Ethnographic research significantly exposes and highlights hospital dramas and shows the effects on clinicians' everyday lives. We suggest that CIs have two dimensions: a medical and a social. The medical dimension encompasses factors in the treatment and care of the patient. The social dimension encompasses the social relationships and the socio-affectivity (emotional responses and labour) of treating clinicians. Our main argument is that foregrounding of the socio-cultural dimensions of CIs informs and impacts on the medical dimensions. Our conclusions demonstrate that the social dimensions of CIs have important ramifications for clinical interactions in everyday practices and these impact on the positive learning of clinicians after a CI has occurred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Anthropology & Medicine is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
Full text is not displayed to guests.
FullText Links:
  – Type: pdflink
Text:
  Availability: 1
Header DbId: pbh
DbLabel: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
An: 32874113
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: 'Untangling the web of critical incidents': Ethnography in a paediatric setting.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Hunter%2C+Cynthia+L%2E%22">Hunter, Cynthia L.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Spence%2C+Kaye%22">Spence, Kaye</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Scheinberg%2C+Adam%22">Scheinberg, Adam</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Anthropology+%26+Medicine%22">Anthropology & Medicine</searchLink>. Aug2008, Vol. 15 Issue 2, p91-103. 13p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subjects
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hospital+wards%22">Hospital wards</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Medical+personnel%22">Medical personnel</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Patients%22">Patients</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Children's+hospitals%22">Children's hospitals</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hospitals%22">Hospitals</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ethnology+research%22">Ethnology research</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+interaction%22">Social interaction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Pediatrics%22">Pediatrics</searchLink>
– Name: SubjectGeographic
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Australia%22">Australia</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Critical incidents (CIs) are the elements that bring about an alert or wake up call for clinicians in hospital wards. They are considered critical because the safety of patients, staff or visitors is at risk. Not all CIs result in dire consequences, nor do they require Root Cause Analysis (RCA). Nonetheless, incidents affect patients and involve clinicians' interactions with each other. This paper describes the complexities embedded in two CIs in a major paediatric hospital in Australia. An anthropological ethnographic research approach enabled the researcher to observe, document, interpret and make sense of the activities of clinicians in two different clinical areas of the hospital, i.e., the Rehabilitation Unit and the Neonatal Unit (NU). Ethnographic research significantly exposes and highlights hospital dramas and shows the effects on clinicians' everyday lives. We suggest that CIs have two dimensions: a medical and a social. The medical dimension encompasses factors in the treatment and care of the patient. The social dimension encompasses the social relationships and the socio-affectivity (emotional responses and labour) of treating clinicians. Our main argument is that foregrounding of the socio-cultural dimensions of CIs informs and impacts on the medical dimensions. Our conclusions demonstrate that the social dimensions of CIs have important ramifications for clinical interactions in everyday practices and these impact on the positive learning of clinicians after a CI has occurred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Anthropology & Medicine is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=32874113
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/13648470802122016
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 13
        StartPage: 91
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Hospital wards
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Medical personnel
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Patients
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Children's hospitals
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Hospitals
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Ethnology research
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social interaction
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Pediatrics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Australia
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: 'Untangling the web of critical incidents': Ethnography in a paediatric setting.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Hunter, Cynthia L.
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Spence, Kaye
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Scheinberg, Adam
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 08
              Text: Aug2008
              Type: published
              Y: 2008
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 13648470
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 15
            – Type: issue
              Value: 2
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Anthropology & Medicine
              Type: main
ResultId 1