Introduction
Workplace incivility may result from unprofessional behavior conducted to harm the target. For instance, when someone exhibits disrespectful behavior, is impolite, dishonorable, and goes against the rules of mutual respect at work. Various factors are associated with workplace incivility, especially in the healthcare industry. Keeping up with all the activities that aim to deliver the high level of quality care demanded in this industry is mostly associated with high stress affecting nurses’ professionalism in communication and collaboration. Research into these matters has described the hospital environment as “uncomfortable” due to the clash between health professionals such as nurses and patients. This results in to increase in workplace incivility.
Impacts of Incivility on Individual Nurses
In a healthcare setting, nurses are among the healthcare professionals that work closely with patients. Nurses must be able to apply interpersonal behaviors that promote trust, respect, collaboration, and shared decision-making while caring for patients because of the close relationships and interactions. Numerous studies have shown the negative effects of incivility on patients. This is linked to high levels of job dissatisfaction and increased mental and physical symptoms such as fatigue, disorientation, irritability, and despair among nurses (American Nurses Association, 2015). Although nursing incivility has received more research than physician incivility, there is still no definitive way to address this issue.
Incivility is among the few major problems in healthcare that have received little attention in the literature. Finding measures to stop this conduct is a sensible idea, especially because incivility among nurses has increased. It is crucial to understand how this behavior among nurses affects their capacity to exercise professional clinical judgment when delivering care to patients. According to Armstrong (2018), rudeness among medical staff members can lead to tension and anxiety, which may impair their ability to make key decisions during patient encounters and procedures.
Most of a nurse’s education is acquired through prolonged clinical practice, where they forge strong professional identities with encouraging mentors who support them throughout their careers (Clark, Landis & Barbosa-Leiker, 2021). One must connect professional conduct and interpersonal relationships to excel in this type of workplace because this form of learning is frequently self-directed. A person’s clinical judgment, cognitive skills, and general well-being are all compromised by rudeness (Clark, Landis & Barbosa-Leiker, 2021). Distress brought on by this kind of behavior may result in nursing burnout.
Issues that Occur in Clinical Site Incivility
A survey by Health Forum to investigate incivility reported that 54% of their participants were affected by incivility (Clark, Landis & Barbosa-Leiker, 2021). The most frequent occurrences occurred in clinical settings. It has been demonstrated that workplace incivility has a significant detrimental effect on patient safety and workplace efficiency. For instance, when nurses are treated rudely, they are less satisfied with their jobs, which increases turnover. Additionally, Clark, Landis & Barbosa-Leiker (2021) state that incivility is linked with higher stress levels, which can impede an individual’s judgment. Due to the heightened stress, incivility from co-workers increases a nurse’s risk of injury or medical blunders. Therefore, the nurse’s initial reaction to cases of rudeness is usually anger, which causes them to act aggressively or feel on guard at work.
Physicians’ incivility against nurses also leads to an unfriendly atmosphere at work. According to a study, rudeness between nurses and doctors makes up roughly 70% of all rudeness reported in healthcare places (Clark, Landis & Barbosa-Leiker, 2021). It has been found that doctors criticize their nursing staff, leaving them feeling disrespected, helpless, lonely, and irrelevant (American Nurses Association, 2015). Incivility negatively impacts the connection between doctors and nurses, resulting in poor quality healthcare due to increased errors in the delivery process. Because of guilt and fear of retaliation, incidents of disrespect between doctors and nurses are frequently not reported to their supervisors. As a result, workplace incivility is widespread and can seriously affect patient care and care delivery efficiency in a healthcare organization.
The Impact of Incivility on Clinical Site Communication
Incivility is characterized as harsh, disrespectful, or offensive behavior in communication. Numerous factors, including patients, employees themselves, and barriers between different levels of communication, contribute to incivility in one way or another. Armstrong (2018) noted that alienation among co-workers negatively impacts communication and reduces teamwork inside an organization. Communication in a clinical setting is also impacted by incivility because staff members are less likely to work together while interacting with patients. Accordingly, it makes communication difficult in places such as the workplace and clinical sites. It is crucial to consider how rudeness may impact communication.
Incivility might hinder healthcare personnel from communicating with one another, depending on the clinical communication environment. Bullied or harassed professionals may be less inclined to desire to collaborate with their colleagues. This may lead to more mistakes and missed treatments. Additionally, some hospitals assert that a rise in prescription errors is associated with healthcare incivility (American Nurses Association, 2015). Incivility in the workplace is more likely to be imitated by those who observe it, which could damage therapies for future patients. When communication breaks down, people can be less inclined to cooperate, and those who seek the help of those specialists might not get the best treatment possible. However, civility in conversation is important because it can result in future patients receiving better medical care.
Initiatives Implemented to Address Incivility within the Clinical Sites
For some time, incivility in the healthcare metaparadigm has been a topic of concern. As a result, several organizations have created new programs to reduce incivility from healthcare personnel toward patients and fellow employees. Nevertheless, the ANA, ONA, and Joint Commission have all released unique data that could be utilized as a guide for developing organizational initiatives.
The first national initiative to combat incivility in nursing practice is “The ANA’s Healthy Workplace Campaign.” The initiative started by focusing on the incivility nurses encounters at work, including bullying/teasing, harassment, or abusive behavior. According to a recent ANA-sponsored study, incivility was found to occur more frequently than previously thought, which causes detrimental effects on nurses. ONA has made a manual called “Developing an Action Plan against Bullying and Harassment in ON” available in response. This manual serves as a model for launching activities within any organization. The toolkit also details the sorts of bullying and harassment behaviors, their causes, and countermeasures. It also offers advice on preventing and lessening bullying and harassment at work.
Conclusion
Incivility has been recognized as a problem in healthcare settings due to its detrimental effect on interactions between healthcare personnel and patients. The results of these effects are also known to be less favorable to patients. However, those who have been in the healthcare industry for a long time now find themselves being ignored by others who will come after them since their experience is not valued as highly as those who have chosen nursing as a vocation in the twenty-first century. Communication in clinical locations is also impacted by incivility because staff members are less likely to work together while interacting with patients. Accordingly, it makes communication difficult in places such as the workplace and clinical sites. It is crucial to consider how incivility may impact communication. To build these programs, nursing organizations can draw on the expertise of existing organizations such as the ANA, ONA, and Joint Commission which have provided publications for nursing organizations to evaluate in comprehending workplace incivility.
References
Armstrong, N. (2018). Management of nursing workplace incivility in the health care settings: A systematic review. Workplace health & safety, 66(8), 403-410.
Clark, C. M., Landis, T. T., & Barbosa-Leiker, C. (2021). A national study on faculty and administrators’ perceptions of civility and incivility in nursing education. Nurse Educator, 46(5), 276-283.
Violence, Incivility, & Bullying | American Nurses Association. (2015). ANA. https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/work-environment/violence-incivility-bullying/
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