Blame the Nurse ! ~ A Time-Honored Tradition ?
A recent New York Times opinion article by oncology nurse Theresa Brown presents a disturbing picture! It seems that among our trusted and honored health-care profesionals, bullying is alive and well! A physician is quoted in the article to say ,“It’s a time-honored tradition — blame the nurse whenever anything goes wrong.”The article also points to some of the more subtle manifestations of bullying:
"...the most damaging bullying is not flagrant and does not fit the stereotype ... It is passive, like not answering pages or phone calls, and tends toward the subtle: condescension rather than outright abuse, and aggressive or sarcastic remarks rather than straightforward insults."How pervasive is bullying in the healthcare setting?
"...because doctors are at the top of the food chain, the bad behavior of even a few of them can set a corrosive tone for the whole organization. Nurses in turn bully other nurses, attending physicians bully doctors-in-training, and experienced nurses sometimes bully the newest doctors."What is the cost, besides the ongoing toll from workplace stress?
The author contends that "The result, not surprisingly, is a rise in avoidable medical errors, the cause of perhaps 200,000 deaths a year."Bullying, needs to be pulled off life-support, and fast!
Click on the post title to read the full article.
Labels: interprofessional relations, nurse-physician communication, physician-nurse relations, workplace bullying
posted by Ann Celestine @ 10:36 AM
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