Lateral Violence & Bullying in Nursing: Unethical & Dangerous - Essay Sample

Introduction

In the nursing profession, lateral violence is referred to as violent behavior among nurses. Both bullying and lateral violence has been widely documented and reported among nursing professionals with adverse consequences on registered nurses, healthcare workers, and patients. Such disruptive misconducts are dangerous to the nursing profession and may hamper the retention of qualified nurses in healthcare facilities. More significantly, lateral violence and bullying are unethical behaviors that should neither be recognized as socialization in the nursing profession nor tolerated as a professional relationship among nurses. According to the Center for American Nurses, nursing professional practice does not provide an opportunity for bullying and lateral violence among nurses or other healthcare professionals. Additionally, all the healthcare organizations need to execute zero acceptance policy, which is linked to any disruptive conduct, including appropriate implementation of educational conduct, code of conduct, as well as behavioral interventions to help address the issue of disruptive behaviors among nurses. The paper seeks to explore ethical analysis based on ethical theories, principles, laws, and standards of practice in the nursing profession, as well as to provide relevance and ethical dimensions of lateral violence in the nursing profession.

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Ethical Dimensions of Lateral Violence in Nursing

More importantly, disruptive behaviors and intimidations can enhance medical errors, poor satisfaction among patients, as well as increasing the cost of healthcare, thereby imposing a heavy burden on the patients. Such behaviors among nurses may also make qualified administrators, healthcare managers, clinicians, and nurses to seek employment in other environments that conform to professionalism. More imperatively, with the new concept of medicare reimbursement techniques implemented in hospitals, such issues, including patient satisfaction, cost, and safety, are treated more critical and should always be addressed appropriately. But unfortunately, several types of disruptive behaviors, such as lateral violence, are still practiced within the healthcare environments (Roberts, 2015). It is important to note that almost all nurses get into the nursing profession with a sole and solemn motive to provide better care for the patients. The motive is only undermined by people who create an unhealthy working environment for others. Therefore it is often suitable to identify the existing disruptive behaviors among nurses and concern given to the ethical issues while the justification for the change is executed to capture both individual nurses and the healthcare organization.

Disruptive behaviors in the nursing profession include banging down telephone receivers, throwing an object at the workplace, exposing people including patients and staff to unsafe conditions, as well as damaging equipment with intensions. The overlay of conduct in literature makes it technical to distinct people's behaviors into diverse types. But bullying is more intentional, and it involves intentional mistreatment, which targets specific groups or individuals. There a lot of studies have concluded that bullying is a form of lateral violence that exerts high disrespect among nurses. Despite knowing the prevalence of different types of disruptive misconduct among nurses, the report by the Institute for Safe Medication Practice demonstrates that several nurses are often passive when it comes to patient care instead of questioning the intimidator. More research has also indicated that several graduates who practice healthcare for the first time, often experience bullying. Finally, the report by South California also revealed numerous experiences of lateral violence, which are majorly committed by experienced nurses (Blair, 2013).

Relevance to Health Profession

Lateral violence refers to workplace conflict in which the disruptive behavior used to target specific individuals within the workplace. Such mistreatment of employees by people of the same position or senior position purposefully undermine, demean, diminish and humiliate the statures of the victims and leads to marginalization and social exclusion within the work environment, that expose the victim to psychological control by the perpetrator. Lateral violence in nursing usually portrays emotional abuse that comprises of behaviors such as targeted jokes, insults, belittling, verbal aggression, unwarranted criticism, and gossiping (Blair, 2013). Again lateral violence in the workplace may include covert sabotaging actions such as misinformation, violation of privacy, breach of confidentiality, excessive workload, and loss of record. In the health profession, if the nurses who execute lateral violence on other nurses are not checked, the abuser may increase the intensity and the rate of the abuse. The abuser may show disdain, threats, physical aggression, and impatience on the victims.

The online feedback can demonstrate lateral violence among nurse practitioners to the Workplace Bullying Institute and other healthcare professional organizations in which the behavior is described as prolonged, intense, and psychological damaging that may cause physical and mental illness to the victims. Ina healthcare environment, lateral violence is destructive, costly, and imposes patients to the risk of reduced care. According to Murray, lateral violence among nurses approximately costs $ 4 billion every year due to productivity, staff turnover, and loss of time (Blair, 2013). Nurses who are victimized of lateral violence often experience depression, despair, and loss of self-work, which, to some extent, may deter service delivery. Notably, a majority of nurses have been observed leaving their jobs in the first six months when they have been victimized through disruptive behaviors of other nurses. Again the moment such victims leave their job; it causes a gap among the healthcare team, which leads to diminished morale among employees, as well as creating an adverse impact on the patients.

Ethical Analysis of Lateral Violence

Theoretical Base on Lateral Violence

Several theories have explained the occurrence of lateral violence among nurses. The most significant theory which has been used to explain lateral violence in nursing is that lateral violence can be illustrated using the oppressed group model, which has been explained by Robert (Roberts, 2015). The model reveals that the oppressed group adopts the norms and values of the dominant group, which are viewed as socially suitable behaviors and roles. Therefore, the values and norms of the oppressed group are adversely valued and repressed. In the situation of overt and covert prizes and penalty, the oppressed group is forced to adopt the values, rules, and the law of the dominants. But as the oppressed group tries to adopt the rule of the dominant, their self-esteem reduces. Though behavioral aspects, the oppressed group adopts and starts to behave like the dominant group but cannot act in contradiction of the dominant group. Members of the oppressed group act submissively in the face of the dominant group.

More importantly, the nursing profession has long been treated as an underclass and the oppressed group, but they have recently been elevated to equality with other health professions. The profession has been subjected, controlled, and dominated by physicians and hospital administrators. The most unfortunate thing is that the nursing profession has the autonomy and authority, but still being controlled by the dominant group (Roberts, 2015). According to Moccia, nurses play a critical role in society compared to any other health profession. More imperatively, with the challenges, the role of conflicts, and tensions in the nursing profession, lateral violence perpetually prevail as it portrays the frustrations based on lack of worth, autonomy, and power among nurses.

Law on Lateral Violence

Despite the oppression faced by nurses under lateral violation, both the employer who fails to address the issue of lateral violence and the abusers who promote the disruptive behaviors at the workplace are often subjected to the rule of law. For instance, in the United States already several bills that address the issue of workplace bullying are functioning in eleven states. In Australia, the law is active in dealing with crimes related to lateral violence among nurses and to control bullying that may cause physical or mental harm to the victim. More significantly, the Occupation Safety and Health Act (OSHA) of 1970 requires that the employers should ensure that the place of work is safe and free from hazards which may lead to physical or mental harm to the workers (Roberts, 2015). Therefore, the law appropriately addresses lateral violence among nurses and subjects the perpetrators to its consequences.

Similarly, if there is evidence that the employer is aware of any hazard that may deter safety of employees, for example when a nurse is subjected to lateral violence and disruptive behaviors, the law mandates the employer to eliminate the hazard to ensure the safety of all the nurses thereby promoting healthcare delivery to the patients. The law provides the employer with the authority to establish, enforce, and supervise the rules which cause safety and healthy working conditions for the effective practice among nurses. Consequentially, infringement of such law would lead to the punishment, which may include the closure of the healthcare facility or a fine of $ 70000 for every occurrence of such incidence provided it is done willfully (Christie & Jones, 2013). Again the nurse who perpetrates the lateral violence on others also faces the consequences of the law. The best example of such a law exists in Washington, which intends to address workplace harassment among nurses.

Principles of lateral Violence

Numerous principles are often violated by nurses who participate in disruptive behaviors in the workplace. One of the principles includes the principle of biomedical ethics, which addresses respect for beneficence, justice, nonmaleficence, and autonomy. Beneficence is the principle which stipulates that nurses should avoid and eliminate the available evil and only encourage the good. Unlike nonmaleficence, beneficence believes in the action taken by the nurses to rectify the harm caused by lateral violence (Blair, 2013). The principle of nonmaleficence is a negative obligation because it does not need any nurse to get involved in bullying behaviors because they would otherwise violate the principle. The principle of justice advocates for fair treatment. For instance, in the United States, all the employees, including nurses, have the right to health and safety at the workplace. Therefore, the behavior of bullying is against the principle of justice.

ANA Code of Ethics and Standards

The ANA code of ethics requires all the nurses in all professions to carryout themselves with respect and compassion that may trigger dignity among nurses. More imperatively, the ANA code provides that nurses should often act with compassion and respect even if they are angered with the action of other healthcare professionals while focusing on humanity for everybody (Christie & Jones, 2013). The code also addresses the condition of the workplace, in which nurses should get engaged in creating, maintaining, and enhancing their work to ensure quality healthcare delivery. Generally, it stipulates that nurses should actively participate in ensuring a harmonious working environment that can foster the values of the profession. But disruptive behaviors are contrary to the requirement.

Professional Response to Lateral Violence in Nursing

Concerning professional response to lateral violence in nursing, a professio...