title: The everyday work at a Swedish emergency department--the practitioners' perspective.
abstract: In the everyday work at emergency departments (EDs), the patients being cared for have different needs and perceived symptoms. To meet their need for emergency care, knowledge of the work is important. The aim of this study is to explore the everyday work at a Swedish ED from a practitioner's perspective.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study has a qualitative, exploratory design with observations and interviews at two EDs. Data were analysed by content analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The everyday work is characterised by a rapid, short and standardised encounter with limited scope to provide individualised care, which leads to a mechanical approach. It is also characterised by an adaptive approach in which practitioners strive to be adaptable by structuring everyday work and cooperation to achieve a good workflow.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study shows that the practitioners' encounter with patients and relatives is rapid and of limited duration. The care activities that practitioners mainly perform comprise standard medical management and are performed more mechanically than in a caring way. The practitioners strive to balance the requirements and the realisation of the everyday work through structures and in cooperation with other practitioners, although they work more in parallel than in integrated teams.
authors.affiliation: University of Gothenburg, The Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Göteborg, Sweden. henrik.andersson@hb.se
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jakobsson
authors.forename: Carina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Furåker
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nilsson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003142:Communication; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013548:Sweden; D016526:Workload