Conflict prevention, conflict mitigation, and manifestations of conflict during emergency department consultations.

Objectives: The objective was to determine the causes of and mitigating factors for conflict between emergency physicians and other colleagues during consultations.

Methods: From March to September 2010, a total of 61 physicians (31 residents and 30 attendings from emergency medicine [EM], internal medicine, and general surgery) were interviewed about how junior learners should be taught about emergency department (ED) consultations. During these interviews, they were asked if and how conflict manifests during the ED consultation process.

Understanding communication between emergency and consulting physicians: a qualitative study that describes and defines the essential elements of the emergency department consultation-referral process for the junior learner.

Objectives: To define the important elements of an emergency department (ED) consultation request and to develop a simple model of the process.

Methods: From March to September 2010, 61 physicians (21 emergency medicine [EM], 20 general surgery [GS], 20 internal medicine [IM]; 31 residents, 30 attending staff) were questioned about how junior learners should be taught about ED consultation. Two investigators independently reviewed focus group and interview transcripts using grounded theory to generate an index of themes until saturation was reached.