The CoMind Lab at the University of Bern researches decision-making processes in medical diagnostics. Medical research and training are increasingly recognizing that the diagnostic process should be understood as a team process. Doctors, nurses, patients and their relatives exchange information and evaluate it together in order to make an informed diagnosis. So much for the theory - but how does this process work in practice?

The CoMind Lab's Team Ethnography, led by sociologist Dr. Maike Isaac, is investigating this question using participant observation and interviews in Swiss emergency medicine. The Team Ethnography researchers are interested in the internal perspectives of all those involved - from the professionals to the patients - and are investigating how teamwork is experienced in the diagnostic process. When, how and where do teams form? What factors promote or hinder teamwork?

 

The Aim of the Study

The researchers want to gain a better understanding of the practice of the diagnostic process and thus provide impetus for improved cooperation in everyday medical practice. The two Swiss clinics in which this study is being conducted will serve as case studies. They are intended to provide insights both for future scientific studies and for the organizational design of collaboration 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 also interested in optimizing medical training and work processes or who want to learn about collaboration in interprofessional workplaces.

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

 

What the Study is not about

The researchers will explicitly not evaluate in any way individuals who accompany them in their work or treatment in one of the two emergency clinics. 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.