Emotional labour: clinicians' attitudes to death and dying

Sorensen, R; Iedema, R

Emotional labour: clinicians' attitudes to death and dying

Sorensen, R Iedema, R

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Journal of Health Organization and Management, 2009, 23 (1), pp. 5 - 22
Issue Date:: 2009-03-20

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Sorensen, R	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Iedema, R https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6792-1048	en_US
dc.date.issued	2009-03-20	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Journal of Health Organization and Management, 2009, 23 (1), pp. 5 - 22	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1477-7266	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/9730
dc.description.abstract	Purpose – This paper aims to understand the impact of emotional labour in specific health care settings and its potential effect on patient care. Design/methodology/approach Multimethod qualitative ethnographic study undertaken in a large ICU in Sydney, Australia using observations from patient case studies, ward rounds and family conferences, open ended interviews with medical and nursing clinicians and managers and focus groups with nurses. Findings Clinician attitudes to death and dying and clinicians' capacity to engage with the human needs of patients influenced how emotional labour was experienced. Negative effects were not formally acknowledged in clinical workplaces and institutional mechanisms to support clinicians did not exist. Research limitations/implications The potential effects of clinician attitudes on performance are hypothesised from clinicianreported data; no evaluation was undertaken of patient care. Practical implications Health service providers must openly acknowledge the effect of emotional labour on the care of dying people. By sharing their experiences, multidisciplinary clinicians become aware of the personal, professional and organisational impact of emotional labour as a core element of health care so as to explicitly and practically respond to it. Originality/value The effect of care on clinicians, particularly care of dying people, not only affects the wellbeing of clinicians themselves, but also the quality of care that patients receive. The affective aspect of clinical work must be factored in as an essential element of quality and quality improvement. © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Journal of Health Organization and Management	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1108/14777260910942524	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Health Policy & Services	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Humans	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Intensive Care	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Attitude of Health Personnel	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Attitude to Death	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Emotions	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Adult	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Caregivers	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Terminally Ill	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Australia	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Female	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Male	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Critical Care	en_US
dc.title	Emotional labour: clinicians' attitudes to death and dying	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	1	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	23	en_US
utslib.for	2001 Communication and Media Studies	en_US
utslib.for	11 Medical and Health Sciences	en_US
utslib.for	15 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences/School of Communication
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	1	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	23	en_US

Abstract:

Purpose – This paper aims to understand the impact of emotional labour in specific health care settings and its potential effect on patient care. Design/methodology/approach Multimethod qualitative ethnographic study undertaken in a large ICU in Sydney, Australia using observations from patient case studies, ward rounds and family conferences, open ended interviews with medical and nursing clinicians and managers and focus groups with nurses. Findings Clinician attitudes to death and dying and clinicians' capacity to engage with the human needs of patients influenced how emotional labour was experienced. Negative effects were not formally acknowledged in clinical workplaces and institutional mechanisms to support clinicians did not exist. Research limitations/implications The potential effects of clinician attitudes on performance are hypothesised from clinicianreported data; no evaluation was undertaken of patient care. Practical implications Health service providers must openly acknowledge the effect of emotional labour on the care of dying people. By sharing their experiences, multidisciplinary clinicians become aware of the personal, professional and organisational impact of emotional labour as a core element of health care so as to explicitly and practically respond to it. Originality/value The effect of care on clinicians, particularly care of dying people, not only affects the wellbeing of clinicians themselves, but also the quality of care that patients receive. The affective aspect of clinical work must be factored in as an essential element of quality and quality improvement. © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/9730