The CoMind Lab at the University of Bern conducts research on decision-making processes in medical diagnostics. Within medical research and training it is increasingly recognized that the diagnostic process should be understood as a team process. Doctors, nurses, patients and their relatives exchange and evaluate information together to arrive at a diagnosis. That's the theory - but how does this process work in practice?

The Team Ethnography of the CoMind Lab, led by sociologist Dr. Maike Isaac, is investigating this question using participant observation and interviews in two Swiss emergency departments. The researchers are interested in the perspectives of all those involved - from medical professionals to patients - and investigate how these different actors experience teamwork throughout the diagnostic process. When, how, and where do teams exist? What factors promote or hinder teamwork?

 

The Aim of the Study

The Team Ethnography researchers want to gain a better understanding of the diagnostic process to help improve cooperation in everyday medical practice. The two Swiss clinics where this study is  conducted  serve as case studies that will provide insights both for future scientific studies and for practitioners in medical contexts.

The results of the study will be published in English in scientific journals and read by an international specialist audience - especially by researchers who are interested in optimizing medical training, work processes, and interprofessional collaboration.

At the end of the study, the researchers will provide the participating clinics with a detailed report. This report can serve as a basis for the clinics to specifically consider how the study results can be integrated into the processes of their respective emergency departments. The graphic here illustrates how the report is compiled and shared with the participating emergency departments.

 

What the Study is not about

The researchers will explicitly not evaluate in any way individual study participants. The aim of the study is not to assess individual actions, but to examine group-related work processes as well as structural, contextual and interpersonal factors that promote or hinder cooperation. The focus is on recurring patterns that can be identified across all study participants - not on the behavior of individuals that has a particularly positive or negative impact on teamwork.

 

Timeline of the Study

This study will be conducted between September 2025 and April 2026. Initial results are expected to be available on this website by the end of 2026.