(1101) Conflict Management in Critical Care: Minimizing Cognitive Errors

Introduction: Effective conflict management is an essential skill for every critical care physician. Conflict management can suffer from many of the same cognitive challenges that can impact the clinical diagnostic reasoning (CDR) process. As with CDR, conflict management is often an unconscious and thus unmonitored response. There may be a lack of knowledge of the different handling conflict modes or how to critically assess a situation to determine which mode to use. Clinicians may not be aware of which modes they unconsciously default to or why. All of which can lead to failure to manage conflict effectively, analogous to cognitive errors undermining CDR.

Methods: We created a 3-session conflict management curriculum for our PCCM and CCM fellows. Prior to the sessions, fellows completed the Myers Briggs type indicator (MBTI) and the Thomas-Killman Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI).
Course objectives included:
• Describe the 5-conflict handling modes and potential uses for each.
• Using one’s TKI and MBTI results, reflect on their preferred conflict handling modes and why these might be their preferred modes.
• Create a framework for assessing any conflict situation to consciously choose the best mode to resolve the conflict.

Results: We anonymously surveyed all fellows who participated in the curriculum. 20/22 fellows completed the survey. Using a Likert Scale, the percent responding Agree or Strongly Agree was:
• The MBTI session provided insights into the behavior of others with whom I interact. (100%)
• I have applied the information learned during the MBTI session in my professional work. (89%)
• My TKI results provided me valuable insight about myself. (94%)
• The session helped me better understand how to assess conflict with a conscious, structured approach. (89%)
• The session helped me better understand how to more effectively utilize all 5 conflict handling modes. (89%)
• I have applied the information learned during the Conflict Management sessions in my professional work. (79%)

Conclusions: Effectively conflict management is an essential skill for all intensivists. Using an approach analogous to teaching CDR, we were able to create a short curriculum focusing on the key elements of effective conflict management our fellows found impactful.