Journal article
Characterizing the structure and content of nurse handoffs: A Sequential Conversational Analysis approach
Journal of biomedical informatics, Vol.59, pp.76-88
02/2016
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbi.2015.11.009
PMID: 26625846
Abstract
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•We describe SCA (Sequential Conversational Analysis), a mixed-method approach.•SCA combines conversational analysis with temporal pattern analysis.•Useful for highlighting temporal relationships within verbal content.•SCA is used to describe relationships in nurse handoff communication.
Effective communication during nurse handoffs is instrumental in ensuring safe and quality patient care. Much of the prior research on nurse handoffs has utilized retrospective methods such as interviews, surveys and questionnaires. While extremely useful, an in-depth understanding of the structure and content of conversations, and the inherent relationships within the content is paramount to designing effective nurse handoff interventions. In this paper, we present a methodological framework—Sequential Conversational Analysis (SCA)—a mixed-method approach that integrates qualitative conversational analysis with quantitative sequential pattern analysis. We describe the SCA approach and provide a detailed example as a proof of concept of its use for the analysis of nurse handoff communication in a medical intensive care unit. This novel approach allows us to characterize the conversational structure, clinical content, disruptions in the conversation, and the inherently phasic nature of nurse handoff communication. The characterization of communication patterns highlights the relationships underlying the verbal content of nurse handoffs with specific emphasis on: the interactive nature of conversation, relevance of role-based (incoming, outgoing) communication requirements, clinical content focus on critical patient-related events, and discussion of pending patient management tasks. We also discuss the applicability of the SCA approach as a method for providing in-depth understanding of the dynamics of communication in other settings and domains.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Characterizing the structure and content of nurse handoffs: A Sequential Conversational Analysis approach
- Creators
- Joanna Abraham - University of Illinois ChicagoThomas Kannampallil - University of Illinois ChicagoCorinne Brenner - New York Academy of MedicineKaren D. Lopez - University of Illinois ChicagoKhalid F. Almoosa - The University of Texas Health Science Center at HoustonBela Patel - The University of Texas Health Science Center at HoustonVimla L. Patel - New York Academy of Medicine
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of biomedical informatics, Vol.59, pp.76-88
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jbi.2015.11.009
- PMID
- 26625846
- NLM abbreviation
- J Biomed Inform
- ISSN
- 1532-0464
- eISSN
- 1532-0480
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 02/2016
- Academic Unit
- Nursing
- Record Identifier
- 9984370658802771
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