June 2024 Pick of the Month

It Is No Wonder

Practitioners of emergency medicine, including physicians, advanced practice practitioners, and nurses, face conflict on virtually every shift. This conflict stems from various human sources, including consultants, patients, families, and even team members. In addition, conflict often arises from human-made constructs such as policies. 

Some emergency physicians refer to the “dehumanization” associated with using electronic health records. Within this context of near-constant conflict, the work by Tjan, entitled Conflict in emergency medicine: A systematic review, and the associated commentary Reframing conflict in the ED as an expected and modifiable source of moral injury by Miner et. al, contribute substantial new insights to this enduring problem.  

After reading about causes of conflict – individual, interpersonal, organizational (system-level), and the many subtopics under these headings – and experiencing a grinding sense of futility, many logical thinkers might ask, “Is there any wonder why the burnout rate is so high in emergency medicine?” Nope, no wonder at all.

Jeffrey A. Kline, MD
Wayne State University School of Medicine
Editor-in-Chief

Source: Kirsty Challen, BSc, MBChB, MRes, PhD, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals | AEM Editor of Infographics