International Journal of Language & Linguistics

Discursive Practices and Decision-Making in ICUs Phenomenological Research in ICUs
Luigina Mortari, Roberta Silva

Abstract
An intensive care unit (ICU) is defined by a high level of complexity, where different subjects actively work together to reach a decision: this reveals the crucial role of decision-making (DM) processes in these contexts. This research aims to investigate what kind of discursive practices emerge when a physician’s team decides how to deal with a critical issue (infection) and how different discursive acts influence DM processes. In order to reach this goal it was decided to use a phenomenological approach because it is a method, which grasps the essential meaning of the “lived experiences” and practices that are constitutive of healthcare organization. The findings disclose the discursive profiles of the four wards: the analysis if how the deliberative acts are linked to others discursive acts is able to reveal where decisions are reached through a reflective, critical and collaborative evaluation and where an overbearing approach predominates.

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