scholarly journals An exploration of emotional labour and emotion work in emergency pre-hospital care

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Angela Williams
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Hospital Care ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Emotion Work ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Emotional Challenges ◽  
Emotional Labour ◽  
Emergency Ambulance ◽  
Front Stage

This thesis explores emotional labour and emotion work in the context of the emergency ambulance service. The emergency medical service (EMS) provides constant response to life threatening situations and complex health care issues in the pre-hospital care setting. The emotional challenges of this type of health care work in the context of high demand is a crucial, though somewhat neglected area of research attention. Hochschild’s theory on emotional labour (1983, 2003) and Goffman’s (1959) dramaturgical concepts of front stage and backstage are utilised, supplemented with features of discourse and conversational analysis. An ethnographic approach involving 280 hours of participant observation over a 10-month period and 24 in-depth interviews with EMS crews in one busy, urban, inner city ambulance station serving a large geographical area in the UK has been utilised to explore the emotional challenges of this work and the local ways of dealing with these. The study findings suggest that EMS crews appraise and categorise their front stage work in positive and negative ways. Positive calls are expressed through local descriptors such being able to ‘make a difference’ and perceived ‘genuine’ need for the EMS and appear alongside emotions such as excitement which some crews suggested helped them deal with the more mundane types of work. Negative call appraisal was associated with questions of legitimacy of need for emergency assistance and predicated on normative ideologies. Crews constructed and populated categories displaying features of identity work, moral work and “negotiated order” (Strauss, Schatzman, Ehrlich, Bucher, & Sabshin, 1963), mobilizing their perceptions of the role of the EMS and the kind of work they should be doing. Negative categorisation was associated with frustration necessitating emotional labour by crews in the disguise and suppression of emotion and appeared to influence the interactions between them and patients. The backstage setting in the form of the crew room was a central, regular, social gathering point where frontline frustrations were shared and processed through moaning, complaining, talking and humour. The crew room was a setting to talk to each other about difficult calls; where reflection was verbalized in questioning if they had done the ‘right’ thing and where reassurance was sought from colleagues. The reflexivity displayed by crews in the backstage setting appeared to emphasise positive affirmations rather than challenge and contributed to a sense of group identity. This thesis offers new understandings of the challenges of the frontline EMS role, emotional labour and emotion work and drawing on participant observation, offers tentative implications these appear to have for crews’ interactions with those who use the service. The backstage context and behaviours represent local ways in which frontline role challenges appear to be expressed and managed from the perspective of those who are directly involved in it. The findings of this thesis offer unique contributions to the theory of emotional labour and emotion work in the emergency pre-hospital care context. These have implications for the inclusion of the concepts of emotional labour and emotion work in pre- and post-registration paramedic curricula, organisational recognition of the emotional demands of emergency ambulance work and staff support and for further research into the emotional challenges of this type of work.

scholarly journals Hospital care: assessment of users' satisfaction during hospital stay

2007 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 973-979 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sônia Maria Alves de Paiva ◽  
Elizabeth Laus Ribas Gomes
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Hospital Care ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Work Organization ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Health Care Teams ◽  
Care Assessment ◽  
Study Results

Health care teams have followed the National Health System's (SUS) principles to ensure quality improvement in healthcare, and patient satisfaction is one of the instruments used to evaluate quality. This study aimed to evaluate patient satisfaction regarding the assistance to their needs during hospitalization, in a general hospital of a city in the interior of São Paulo. Data were collected through participant observation and use of focal group techniques in this qualitative research. A theme guide was used and a total of 20 subjects participated in the study. Data were analyzed through content analysis and interpreted through triangulation. Study results demonstrate that patients were satisfied with the care rendered. However, the researcher concluded that the institution's work organization is not directed to the attainment of quality.

scholarly journals Geographical Variation and Factors Associated with Colorectal Cancer Mortality in a Universal Health Care System

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 191-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmoud Torabi ◽  
Christopher Green ◽  
Zoann Nugent ◽  
Salaheddin M Mahmud ◽  
Alain A Demers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Geographical Variation ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Universal Health Care ◽  
Screening Programs ◽  
Crc Screening ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Universal Health

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the geographical variation and small geographical area level factors associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) mortality.METHODS: Information regarding CRC mortality was obtained from the population-based Manitoba Cancer Registry, population counts were obtained from Manitoba’s universal health care plan Registry and characteristics of the area of residence were obtained from the 2001 Canadian census. Bayesian spatial Poisson mixed models were used to evaluate the geographical variation of CRC mortality and Poisson regression models for determining associations with CRC mortality. Time trends of CRC mortality according to income group were plotted using joinpoint regression.RESULTS: The southeast (mortality rate ratio [MRR] 1.31 [95% CI 1.12 to 1.54) and southcentral (MRR 1.62 [95% CI 1.35 to 1.92]) regions of Manitoba had higher CRC mortality rates than suburban Winnipeg (Manitoba’s capital city). Between 1985 and 1996, CRC mortality did not vary according to household income; however, between 1997 and 2009, individuals residing in the highest-income areas were less likely to die from CRC (MRR 0.77 [95% CI 0.65 to 0.89]). Divergence in CRC mortality among individuals residing in different income areas increased over time, with rising CRC mortality observed in the lowest income areas and declining CRC mortality observed in the higher income areas.CONCLUSIONS: Individuals residing in lower income neighbourhoods experienced rising CRC mortality despite residing in a jurisdiction with universal health care and should receive increased efforts to reduce CRC mortality. These findings should be of particular interest to the provincial CRC screening programs, which may be able to reduce the disparities in CRC mortality by reducing the disparities in CRC screening participation.

scholarly journals Record-linkage study of epidemiology and factors contributing to hospital care uptake

2000 ◽  
Vol 176 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher L. Morgan ◽  
Zahir Ahmed ◽  
Michael P. Kerr
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Learning Disability ◽  
Dual Diagnosis ◽  
Record Linkage ◽  
Secondary Care ◽  
Hospital Care ◽  
Admission Rate ◽  
Linkage Study ◽  
Secondary Health Care ◽  
Community Patients

BackgroundWe know little about how people with a learning disability access secondary health care.AimsTo describe the epidemiology of learning disability, the influence of deprivation on prevalence and the pattern of secondary care uptake, including the effect of institutionalisation.MethodA record-linkage study of secondary care contacts of 434 000 people between 1991 and 1997. A population with learning disability was identified; their secondary care contact was calculated and compared with the general population's.ResultsThe distribution of people with a learning disability (n = 1595) correlated significantly with deprivation. The presence of a learning disability hospital significantly affected care uptake. Place of residence also affected acute admission to the learning disability hospital. Former institution residents generated 212 admissions per 1000 patients; community patients generated 18 per 1000. The admission rate with any psychiatric diagnosis to any setting was 26.3 per 1000 people with a learning disability; 16.5% of such patients had a dual diagnosis.ConclusionsHealth provision for people with a learning disability is affected by institutional provision.

scholarly journals Elderly Patients with Pertrochanteric Hip Fracture: In Hospital Care

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Faour Martín O
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Hip Fracture ◽  
Elderly Patients ◽  
Hip Fractures ◽  
Cost Reduction ◽  
Hospital Care ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Clinical Results ◽  
Fracture Management ◽  
Care Of Elderly

Objective: To evaluate the improvement in the care of elderly patients hospitalized due to pertrochanteric hip fractures. Methods: A comparative study of two cohorts of patients admitted due to pertrochanteric hip fractu re before (2010) and after the application of in hospital management protocols (2018). The intervention consisted in the implementation of multidisciplinary measures during hospitalization based on current scientific evidence. An evaluation of the clinical results was performed, as well as the health care impact. Results: The characteristics of patients admitted for hip fracture in 2010 (216 patients) and 2018 (205 patients) were similar in age, sex, Barthel index and the Charlson abbreviated index. In 2018 patients had more comorbidity. A significant reduction of preoperative stay and overall stay in the cohort of 2018 was achieved. Detection of delirium, malnutrition and anaemia was higher in 2018, and a reduced incidence of infection and a better function al efficiency was achieved in this period. Conclusion: The introduction of measures for the improvement of the pertrochanteric hip fracture management reduces hospitalization with consequent cost reduction. Unification of criteria among professionals may b e an opportunity for better clinical results and reduction of complications.

scholarly journals “Through the Looking Glass”: The Emotional Journey of the Volunteer Ethnographer when Researching Sensitive Topics with Vulnerable Populations

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fábio Augusto ◽  
Ana Hilário
Keyword(s):  
Vulnerable Populations ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Dual Role ◽  
Observation Study ◽  
Emotional Challenges ◽  
Sensitive Topics ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
Reflective Strategies ◽  
Looking Glass

This paper extends further research on being both a volunteer and ethnographic researcher and intends to offer some insights on the emotional challenges of adopting this dual role when conducting research on sensitive topics and with vulnerable populations. The discussion presented here draws upon an ethnographic participant observation study of a food redistribution organization (Re-food) held in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. The paper builds awareness on the emotional challenges in the field and discusses potential self-reflective strategies for researchers to cope with the extraordinary demands posed on them by specific circumstances and subjects. The volunteer ethnographer, when developing their work, is subject to a wide range of emotional challenges that are related to the functions that they had to develop in the research context itself due to their dual role, as well as to the vulnerability of participants and the sensitivity of the topic addressed.

Responding to organizational identity change: ethnographic insights from multinational hotel subsidiaries

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Sun-Ah Ponting
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Identity ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Internal Communication ◽  
Hospitality Management ◽  
Organizational Memory ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Emotional Challenges ◽  
Organizational Ethnography ◽  
History Of

Purpose This paper aims to use an organizational ethnography perspective to explore how subsidiary hotel properties of a multinational hotel corporation experience planned organizational identity (OI) change instituted by headquarters. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a multi-site approach to collect ethnographic data on organizational change from six hotel subsidiaries in California, USA. Over three years, multiple sources of data were collected including: 31 interviews with hotel subsidiary leaders; more than 100 participant observation hours including job shadows, conferences and meetings; and photographs and internal communication materials. Findings Multinational hospitality companies face struggles between corporate standardization and subsidiary localization. This paper reveals that when headquarters plan changes focused on employees at their subsidiaries, the ways the latter initially accept and resist change are significantly impacted by the organizational memory and history of subsidiary leaders. However, as time progressed, properties with strong financial performance continued to operationalize new identity initiatives while properties with poorer profit margins played a balancing act between headquarters’ visionary identity and subsidiary ownership’s revenue expectations. Additionally, the situational realities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to all properties which amplified practical and emotional challenges of organizational ethnography in hospitality research. Originality/value This paper contributes to hospitality literature by introducing an under-researched concept, OI change and advances understanding of the struggles in managing multinational company change. More importantly, this paper is a stepping stone for future hospitality management to embark on organizational ethnography.

Emotionele arbeid en positieve werkuitkomsten: De rol van specifieke hulpbronnen in het werk

2006 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan de Jonge ◽  
Maria C.W. Peeters ◽  
Pascale M. Le Blanc
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Job Demands ◽  
Emotion Work ◽  
Job Resources ◽  
Work Outcomes ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Emotional Demands ◽  
Positive Work

Emotion work and positive work outcomes: The role of specific job resources Emotion work and positive work outcomes: The role of specific job resources J. de Jonge, M.C.W. Peeters & P.M. Le Blanc, Gedrag & Organisatie, Volume 19, November 2006, nr. 4, pp. 345-367 This cross-sectional study among 826 health care workers examined the association between emotion work (defined as emotional demands) and positive work outcomes (i.e., creativity, active learning, and job challenge), and the moderating role of job resources on this relation. The hypotheses were tested with multivariate multiple regression analyses (LISREL 8.30), using cross-validation techniques. The results showed indeed that, compared with a non-match, a match between emotional demands and (emotional) resources increased the chance of positive work outcomes. So, to achieve positive work outcomes it seems to be important for job demands in general and for emotional demands in particular, that a correspondence exists between the kind of job resource and the kind of job demands. From a practical point of view, work-related interventions on emotion work should therefore focus on specific, emotional, job resources to stimulate positive work outcomes for health care workers.

Participation as Inclusion and Exclusion: Policing the Boundaries of “Citizenship” in Roma Health Mediation

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 430-443
Author(s):  
Charlotte Kühlbrandt
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
The Social ◽  
Roma Health ◽  
Governing Institutions ◽  
Improve Access

Participatory health interventions have long been advocated as an approach to help marginalised community members exercise their rights as citizens, including access to health care. More than two decades ago, the Roma health mediation programme was established in Romania as a participatory community health intervention. Mediators are employed specifically to act as intermediaries between ‘Roma patients’ and local authorities or health professionals, with the overall aim to increase trust and improve access to health care. Based on data gathered during a year of ethnographic fieldwork with Roma health mediators in Romania, including participant observation and interviews, this article analyses the social processes by which participatory approaches produce both social inclusion and exclusion. It illustrates how mediators exceeded their remit of health and attempted to discipline communities into forms of neoliberal citizenship. Mediators reframed access to health care not as a right that community members already have, but as a benefit that must be individually ‘earned’ through the fulfilment of neoliberal citizenship. The article argues that far from being an ‘empowering tool’, community participation can extend the power of governing institutions and thereby may in fact contribute to the maintenance of a political status quo that perpetuates the precarisation of marginalised communities.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document