Conflict in emergency medicine: A systematic review

Abstract

Background: The emergency department (ED) is a demanding and time-pressured environment where doctors must navigate numerous team interactions. Conflicts between health care professionals frequently arise in these settings. We aim to synthesize the individual-, team-, and systemic-level factors that contribute to conflict between clinicians within the ED and explore strategies and opportunities for future research. Methods: Online databases PubMed and Web of Science were systematically searched for relevant peer-reviewed journal articles in English with keywords relating to “conflict” and “emergency department,” yielding a total of 29 articles. Results: Narrative analysis showed that conflict often occurred during referrals or admissions from ED to inpatient or admitting units. Individual-level contributors to conflict include a lack of trust in ED workup and staff inexperience. Team-level contributors include perceptions of bias between groups, patient complexity, communication errors, and difference in practice. Systems-level contributors include high workload/time pressures, ambiguities around patient responsibility, power imbalances, and workplace culture. Among identified solutions to mitigate conflict are better communication training, standardizing admission guidelines, and improving interdepartmental relationships. Conclusions: In emergency medicine, conflict is common and occurs at multiple levels, reflecting the complex interface of tasks and relationships within ED.