When healthcare professionals bully each other or exhibit aggressive behavior, this may pose a threat to patient safety.
To understand the scope of workplace bullying in healthcare facilities, Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority analyzed reported events through the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System from July 2014 to June 2016.
Here are seven things to know:
1. Researchers identified 44 bullying events.
2. The bulk of these events were under event type "other/miscellaneous."
3. Twelve of the events dealt with an error related to a procedure, treatment or test.
4. Thirty-four bullying events entailed verbal abuse.
5. Thirty-two events dealt with intimidating behaviors.
6. Bullying lowers overall morale and leads to an increase in absenteeism and turnover.
7. Based on their findings, the researchers say hospitals and health systems need effective policies and education among staff members on recognizing and managing bullying situations.
