Disruptive Behaviors in an Emergency Department: the Perspective of Physicians and Nurses.

Maryam Maddineshat,Mahbubeh Tabatabaeichehr,Alan H Rosenstein,Arash Akaberi

doi:10.15171/jcs.2016.026

Abstract

Introduction: Disruptive behaviors cause many problems in the workplace, especially in the emergency department (ED).This study was conducted to assess the physician’s and nurse’s perspective toward disruptive behaviors in the emergency department. Methods: In this cross-sectional study a total of 45 physicians and 110 nurses working in the emergency department of five general hospitals in Bojnurd participated. Data were collected using a translated, changed, and validated questionnaire (25 item). The collected data were analyzed by SPSS ver.13 software. Results: Findings showed that physicians gave more importance to nurse-physician relationships in the ED when compared to nurses’ perspective (90% vs. 70%). In this study, 81% of physicians and 52% of nurses exhibited disruptive behaviors. According to the participants these behaviors could result in adverse outcomes, such as stress (97%), job dissatisfaction and can compromise patient safety (53%), quality of care (72%), and errors (70%). Conclusion: Disruptive behaviors could have a negative effects on relationships and collaboration among medical staffs, and on patients’ quality of care as well. It is essential to provide some practical strategies for prevention of these behaviors.

Highlights

IntroductionThe American Medical Association defines disruptive behavior as any inappropriate verbal or physical behavior that has adverse consequences and could have negative impact on quality of care
Disruptive behaviors cause many problems in the workplace, especially in the emergency department (ED).This study was conducted to assess the physician’s and nurse’s perspective toward disruptive behaviors in the emergency department
Many institutes try to improve the behavior of their team by educating and training them to enhance effective communication and collaboration skills and to reduce adverse consequences, because healthcare professionals are directly associated with the outcomes of patients.[1,2,3]

Summary

Introduction

The American Medical Association defines disruptive behavior as any inappropriate verbal or physical behavior that has adverse consequences and could have negative impact on quality of care These adverse effects are not limited to the patient care only and may affect health care professional’s ability to interact and work as a team and reduce their collaboration. These behaviors include reluctance to answer questions, phone calls or pages, impatience with questions, condescending language or voice intonation, intimidation and violence (throwing objects, pushing or hitting, violating others’ privacy, pointing fingers), sexual harassment, and any inappropriate response to requests from colleagues and patients. All these behaviors are considered as unethical and unacceptable actions.[4,5,6]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion