Introduction
As a primary researcher, I studied hospital culture. Hospitals are interesting areas to study because they help understand patient experience, the flow of ideas and activities during operations, and the execution of duties. In the research, I was interested in examining the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on hospital operations.
The paper will, therefore, address my research findings in three sections. The first section will discuss my position as a researcher, my background, and assumptions made about the hospital culture. The second section will describe the hospital and emergency room observations, including patterns, rituals, rules, and behaviors of patients and staff. The last section will reflect on what I learned about myself, the subculture, and how the information relates to society.
Position as a Researcher
I chose to study hospital culture due to its significance and impact on the lives and experiences of patients and their families. Further, I had a significant interest in the challenges and changes in the hospital setting due to the COVID-19 pandemic. My primary goal as a researcher was to understand the operation of hospital culture and its effects on patients. More focus was placed on the strict rules and procedures to ensure patient safety and care. Besides, I expected to encounter diverse groups of patients, staff, and healthcare providers with varying attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.
Why I Choose to Study this Site and Culture
The primary reason for studying hospital culture is to enhance knowledge contribution. For instance, studying hospital culture enhances understanding of how healthcare systems work and how they can be improved. The understanding is facilitated by the knowledge gained through the experiences of patients and healthcare providers, thus, the potential to identify areas of improvement and inform policy decisions.
Besides, I was interested in studying the social impacts by evaluating various healthcare system issues. I had an interest in developing my career. Studying hospital culture creates an opportunity for healthcare management, public health, and nursing researchers. As a result, I can gain expertise that can advance my career.
Based on the study about hospital culture, I assumed that hospitals are highly bureaucratic and hierarchical. Besides, I assumed that a hospital is made of rigid rules and regulations that can limit patient care. However, I had some optimistic assumptions that hospitals are highly caring environments where staff members are deeply committed to the well-being of their patients.
Observations in the Hospital Culture and the General Organization
In my observation of the hospital culture, I noted that it was a highly structured environment. For instance, it was structured with clear rules and procedures for patient care. Patients were bustling in the emergency room seeking urgent care. Besides, the hospital staff was working diligently to attend to the needs of the patients.
I also noted that the hospital culture was highly regulated and focused on patient safety and care. The staff was guided by strict protocols such as wearing protective equipment and ensuring the highest level of hygiene, especially the hand hygiene guidelines, to facilitate control of COVID-19 spreading. However, the conduct among the staff showed a strong sense of teamwork. The staff members worked together to ensure the best possible patient outcomes.
Moreover, patients and staff exhibited various rituals and behaviors that manifested their cultural and personal beliefs. In the emergency room, patients experiencing chronic pain engaged in prayer while others underwent meditation before undergoing surgery or when receiving treatment. Patients were also listening to music to distract themselves from their pain and anxiety. One group of staff members exhibited care and an empathetic demeanor toward patients, while others appeared more detached and clinical in their approach.
During the observation process, I had an opportunity to speak with patients and staff members. After interviewing different groups of patients, some expressed frustration with long waiting times, complex medical procedures, and limited communication with healthcare providers. For instance, during an interview with a patient, she said, “I wish they would tell me more about what is happening. I feel they could do what they must and then leave without explaining anything.” In addition, patients expressed concerns regarding the cost of healthcare and the limited availability of health insurance.
On the other hand, the staff members expressed significant concern with staff shortages, long working hours, and the stress of working in a high-pressure environment. After interviewing a staff member, I asked about the common challenges that specific staff groups face while working in a hospital setting.
In a quote, she said, “It can be quite stressful. We are struggling to deal with life-and-death situations every day. We must ensure that we are part of our duties all the time. Although difficult, we must meet the standards for caring about our patients.” These quotes effectively provided a more nuanced understanding of the hospital culture and the experiences of those working and receiving services from the hospital.
Rules and Regulations of the Setting
After observing the operations in the hospital setting, I realized that various rules and protocols governed the patients and staff. For instance, there was the patient care protocol where the management had specified the procedures for caring for patients. The commonly identified protocols include patient assessment, medication, and administration. The protocol was supported by Lalezari et al. (2020), who researched ways to reduce contamination and costs by developing a blood culture sampling. The researchers noted that the patient care protocols were being followed by the healthcare providers and the impact they have on patient care.
Moreover, I noted that both staff and patients were bound together by the hierarchy and power dynamics. As evidenced, the physicians occupied the position of authority over other healthcare providers. The hospital teams also had a unique way of communication. The communication style was strictly complex and enhanced as a culture within the health center.
However, the staff was regulated by specific cultural norms built within the organization. For instance, there was respect for patient autonomy, privacy, and confidentiality. These rules and regulations helped explain how to do things in the hospital setting. Staff members relied on the set procedures to care for the patients as they followed a specific and unique protocol in their responses.
Differentiating Insiders and Outsiders
Many people were regularly entering and leaving the hospital. For instance, patients, family members, and visitors, including healthcare providers, frequently entered and left the basements. Therefore, to differentiate insiders from outsiders, I used knowledge and familiarity. For instance, insiders seemed to have greater knowledge and familiarity with the hospital culture and practices. The understanding among insiders was detrimental to the apparent behavior and interactions with others among the staff members. Besides, I noted that all patients wore unique uniforms that increased access privileges. Staff members were also issued departmental tags that could facilitate their operations within the environment.
Conclusion and Reflection
Working in a medical facility makes one realize various aspects that build, strengthen, and advance knowledge essential in making recommendable clinical expertise. Throughout the research process in the hospital and emergency room, I learned more about myself and the group’s subculture. I was struck by the diversity of patients and staff members as an African American woman.
How the insiders showed consistency and commitment in their duties marked the significance of cultural competency in healthcare. McGregor et al. (2019) helped prepare the expected hypothesis by justifying that the current healthcare organizations are working towards eliminating the continued challenge of health disparities based on race or ethnicity in America (McGregor et al., 2019). The research was highly diverse, consisting of more than 200000 participants.
Its primary objective was to compare individual disparities between whites and African Americans. The study’s findings showed that minorities are overrepresented among the low socioeconomic populations. Besides, these groups are generally experiencing different forms of biases and racism.
Moreover, while studying this subculture, I gained a deeper appreciation of the challenges and pressures that healthcare providers experience in their hospitals. I also realized the significance of teamwork, effective communication, and empathy in ensuring high-quality healthcare provisions for patients. I understood that the hospital culture is an environment where many individuals work professionally to save a soul for a better tomorrow.
Indeed, the healthcare providers differentiated themselves from the other staff members by being committed and straight to their duties. While interviewing one, he claimed they work in a critical environment where every minute counts in their services. For instance, while attending to a patient from the emergency room, the time spent with the patient determines the operation’s success. Therefore, they were required to spend the least time possible but produce the best results to ensure life continuation.
However, despite the ability to commit themselves, I learned that this subculture is expected to have a thorough study with special training to help healthcare professionals better understand the reason behind their work. From my experience in the emergency room, although the patients are suffering from pain and other forms of sickness, the healthcare providers are experiencing the worst since they meet individuals from diverse groups of patients. In this regard, healthcare professionals must be taken through diverse seminars to understand the need to have them articulate their duties without any form of bias.
The reason behind this intervention is to ensure that the health providers work under a culture that limits different forms of trauma brought about by the experiences and encounters they face in their line of duty. For instance, those working in the emergency room could receive patients with different problems, including their relatives, and they had to attend to them. It could be surprising to have the patient suffer from traumatic experiences due to the increased casualties and deaths, due to limited specialists in the hospital.
References
Lalezari, A., Cohen, M. J., Svinik, O., Tel-Zur, O., Sinvani, S., Al-Dayem, Y. A., Block, C., Moses, A. E., Oster, Y., Salameh, S., & Strahilevitz, J. (2020). A simplified blood culture sampling protocol for reducing contamination and costs: A randomized controlled trial. Clinical Microbiology and Infection, 26(4), 470–474. Web.
McGregor, B., Belton, A., Henry, T. L., Wrenn, G., & Holden, K. B. (2019). Improving behavioral health equity through cultural competence training of health care providers. Ethnicity & Disease, 29(2), 359–364. Web.