CAREER: Using Advanced Organizational Technology to Communicate Compassionately

在工作场所使用先进的信息技术(AIT)可以加快信息共享和提高成本效益，但也可能导致社会脱节，阻碍富有同情心的沟通，这对医疗保健至关重要。富有同情心的沟通包括注意到对同情心的需要和患者生活的细节，通过同理心和观点交谈在情感和认知上建立联系，并用有效的(非)语言策略回应。AITS可以抑制与患者的(非)言语交流，尽管AITs可以实现更多的在线互动，但在这些场所建立同情心可能是一件繁重的事情。这个项目考察了卫生保健工作者如何在AIT实施后创新他们的沟通实践，以实践富有同情心的沟通和患者对最佳提供者实践的看法。由于同情在服务弱势人群时特别重要，该项目研究了同情AIT在以下方面的使用：(A)具有联邦资格的医疗中心，为贫困人口提供护理；(B)为高收入患者服务的高科技医院。该项目通过采访和观察提供者并调查患者，以了解他们对新的AITs如何约束和支持患者与提供者的沟通和关系建立的观点，解决了技术给富有同情心的医疗保健沟通带来的问题。半结构化的深度访谈将允许提供者反思和解释他们的AIT行为，视频观察工具将暴露提供者的AIT行为和患者的反应。研究人员将在两个医疗保健组织站点完成100个小时的视频观察，100个小时观察这些站点当前的面对面交流研讨会，60个提供者访谈和300个患者调查。结果将被用来为每个研究地点的提供者创建一种富有同情心的沟通干预，设计一种在线继续医学教育，并为健康前学生创建一门本科课程，使每个群体都掌握技能，以应对健康AITs带来的日益复杂的人际关系挑战。该项目还为医疗保健领导者提供了关于以下方面的实用建议：(A)(非)有效的AIT沟通战略，以服务于低识字率和正常/高识字率人群，以及(B)改进AIT设计。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Using advanced information technologies (AIT) in the workplace can expedite information sharing and improve cost efficiency, but can also cause a social disconnection that encumbers compassionate communication, which is vital to health care. Compassionate communication involves noticing the need for compassion and the details of patients’ lives, connecting emotionally and cognitively though empathy and perspective-talking, and responding with effective (non)verbal strategies. AITs can inhibit (non)verbal communication with patients, and although AITs enable more online interaction, establishing compassion within these venues can be taxing. This project examines how health care workers innovate their communication practices following AIT implementation to practice compassionate communication and patient perceptions on best provider practices. Because compassion is especially important when serving vulnerable populations, this project studies compassionate AIT use in (a) a federally qualified health center providing care to a poverty-stricken population (b) a high-tech hospital serving higher income patients. This project addresses the problem technology poses for compassionate health care communication by interviewing and observing providers and surveying patients to understand their perspectives on how new AITs both constrain and afford patient-provider communication and relationship-building. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews will allow providers to reflect on and explain their AIT behaviors, and video observation tools will expose providers’ AIT behaviors and patients’ responses. The researcher will complete 100 video observational hours at two health care organizational sites, 100 hours observing current in-person communication workshops at these sites, 60 provider interviews, and 300 patient surveys. Results will be used to create a compassionate communication intervention for providers at each research site, to design an online continuing medical education, and to generate an undergraduate course for pre-health students, equipping each respective group with skillsets to embrace the increasingly complex interpersonal challenges posed by health AITs. This project also offers healthcare leaders practical recommendations regarding: (a) (non)effective AIT communicative strategies for serving both low and normal/high literacy populations, and (b) improved AIT designs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.