Reduce medical error by conquering disruptive behaviors

Disruptive behavior in medical settings can be dangerous and life-threatening for patients. It contributes to reduced patient satisfaction, malpractice claims, staff turnover and adverse outcomes, and can include both aggressive verbal and physical behavior and passive behavior such as task refusals or a bad attitude. The following are steps for reducing disruptive behavior from Pascal Metrics, a clinical risk-analytics company:

1. Commit to reducing disruptive behavior at all levels of the organization.

2. Create and enforce clear policies regarding disruptive behavior.

3. Reduce negative emotions by positioning employees for success.

4. Perform regular measurements of disruptive behavior, including:

Divisive behavior

·         Intentionally excluding others from a group

·         Talking about people behind their backs

·         Treating new staff members harshly

Intimidating behavior

·         Setting others up to fail

·         Bullying others

·         Attempting to publically humiliate others

Disrespectful behavior

·         Yelling at others

·         Interrupting conversation by leaving/hanging up/cutting someone off

Inhibiting behavior

·         Violating HIPAA

·         Using personal devices in a way interfering with work

·         Ignoring work communication/requests

Offensive behavior

·         Touching others in sexual ways

·         Making discriminatory comments

·         Being physically aggressive

The top three disruptive behaviors among healthcare workers observed in a Pascal Metrics study include talking about people behind their backs (more than 45 percent), intentionally excluding others from the group (about 30 percent) and using a personal phone in ways that interfere with work (more than 25 percent). About two-thirds of survey respondents reported disruptive behaviors were managed "well."

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