Research Paper on Incivility in Nursing

Introduction

Incivility is a single term used in describing rude, upsetting, intimidating, and unwelcome behaviors aimed at another person. Incivility often defines any action that individuals find offensive or hostile and that tends to interfere with the learning or the practicing environment (Howard, 2013). Despite the fact that incivility is something that has always been around for a while now, it is becoming a menace to many organization and individuals today. Incivility leads typically to either physiological or psychological distress for a person considered as a victim. If the habit remains unaddressed, it can progress into threatening circumstances or behaviors. In many cases, the victims of incivility tend to experience symptoms associated with depression and anxiety such as stress, exhaustion, anger, sleeplessness, and embarrassment. The reason for this is because many have associated the characteristics of incivility to those with depression. In nursing, intimidating and disruptive actions can cause medical errors, and contribute to poor quality of care. Incivility is a problem that affects both the learning and practicing process, and the consequence can be severe to the affected party. Incivility at work and in learning institutions is part of the constellation of topics categorized as institutional violence that crosses the spectrum from low-level non-physical violence to physical abuse. It is because of incivility's pervasiveness that it is significant to address the issue.

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The Significance of Incivility in Nursing

Incivility's impacts are wide-reaching, and they continue to cripple the nursing industry on a daily basis. Harris (2011) attributes nursing shortage to incivility and states that the annual cost of stress along caused by this issue in the United States hospitals amount to approximately $300 billion. It translates to the fact that incivility is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. In nursing, a healthy environment is essential for promoting quality care, and it is critical that the nursing practitioners are in their right mind so that they can have a better relationship with each other and the patients as well. Effective work relationships are an integral part of a healthy working environment. The relationship between the nurses and the managers in addition to the peer relationships are essential to the wellbeing of the patients. However, in the presence of incivility, the working relationship among the nurses is hindered, and this affects the quality of their work, and care. Studies suggest that incivility at work has significant implications for the personnel and the organization (Lynette et al., 2016). For example, modern research as mentioned by Lynette et al., (2016) reveals that victims of nurse harassment and bullying are highly likely to quit their job or leave the profession altogether.

Besides, mounting evidence asserts that unprofessional relationships among the healthcare professionals often have a direct impact on the outcomes and safety of the patients. It is these implications concerning patients' safety that have forced professional organizations to pay attention to the problem and address it assertively. An example of this is when in 2010 the Joint Commission implemented new standards that demanded that healthcare organizations must establish mechanisms that handle uncivil and disrespectful conducts such as the ones covered under the incivility (Howard, 2013). Student nurses just as the professionals suffer the same, and sometimes the impact on the student in academia impacts the nation as a whole. This is because as the conditions of nursing shortage continue to increase, many organizations expect that these students should be the solution to the problem. Therefore, incivility is an issue that is dangerous at individual levels as well as institutional level.

Impacts of Incivility

The effects of incivility in nursing can be emotional, physical and emotional. Studies have established that there is a definite relationship between negative emotions and workplace incivility. Porath and Parson (2012) mentioned that incivility in nursing is directly related to negative emotions such as anger, sadness, and fear. When an individual continually feels overwhelmed with these emotions, they tend to lose their focus at work, and this affects the objectives and goals of the institutions as well as the ethics of practicing nursing. The other impacts can be categorized under physical and psychological well-being of the affected individuals. Based on the fact that incivility frequently happens in nursing, it qualifies as a chronic stressor. When the negative emotions accumulate over time, the targets are highly likely to have psychological impairment by developing conditions such as depression and anxiety, and these psychological symptoms will trigger impaired physical wellbeing. Some of the physical conditions will include illnesses and increased rates of absence. One of the common problems affecting many institutions is nursing burnout, and one of the triggers of this is workplace bullying and harassment that strains the professionals' emotional and psychological well-being (Lynette et al., 2016). In turn, this also impairs the relationships between the nurses and the patients which usually are an integral part of nursing as a profession.

Scenario of Incivility

An example on incivility that I witnessed in practice happened when there was a junior nurse who had developed a close relationship with one of the patients whom she had hoped that would get better after his second heart surgery. However, when the patient passed away, and the student got heart-broken and depressed, the other nurses started spreading wrong rumors concerning the subject's relationship with the patient. Other nurses, started being rude towards her, and even continuously sabotaged her projects. In the end, the junior nurse resigned from her role and quit practicing. When the junior nurse left the institution, the hospital suffered from staff shortage, and this led to working prolonged working hours, which affected the quality of care in most cases because the nurses were worn out from overwork.

The three strategies for creating a healthful environment would include role modeling, develop policies, and empowerment. Role modeling entails mentoring other nurses to show great passion in their different roles while understanding the need for having respect towards each other and having a sense of accountability (Rad & Karimi Moonaghi, 2016). It is thus essential to model others constructively. Policies act as standards and codes of conducts that foster a culture of an institution by suggesting behaviors that the organization cannot tolerate and their respective penalties (Kim, 2018). This will ensure that the nurses adhere to practices that will only create a healthful environment. Empowerment often offers the nurses with access to four integral structures which are resources, opportunities, support, and information (Rad & Karimi Moonaghi, 2016). These can help the bullied to have a channel of communication and response in case they face any form of incivility.

My selected specialty track is executive. A nursing executive is an individual in the nursing profession who acts as the role model for the institution and takes part in designing patient care systems for quality outcomes. The strategies that I would use in my master's-prepared advanced practice role to cultivate a healthful work environment are role model, and creating policies because these two will give me the opportunity to develop the framework of operation while at the same time influencing the nurses to develop a positive towards the hospital and peer relationships.

Conclusion

Incivility has a negative impact on nursing professionals as well as the profession itself. When individuals experience incivility experience a range of negative emotions, which develop into psychological and physical distress, and these affect how they perform in their roles. Based on the fact that nursing is a sensitive career dealing with the health of people, it is crucial to address issues related to incivility as a way of promoting patient safety. Some of the strategies that a nursing executive can use in creating a healthful environment include role modeling, develop policies, and empowerment as this will help the nurses develop a positive attitude towards each other and their professions.

References

Harris, C. (2011). Incivility in Nursing. Nursing Bulleting, 8(22), 16-20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/01.numa.0000497005.19670.9f

Howard, M. (2013). The Price of Incivility. CFA Digest, 43(2), 88-89. http://dx.doi.org/10.2469/dig.v43.n2.32

Kim, J. (2018). Relationship between incivility experiences and nursing professional values among nursing students: Moderating effects of coping strategies. Nurse Education Today, 12(4), 785-90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2018.03.007

Lynette, J., Echevarria, I., Sun, E., & Ryan, J. (2016). Incivility Across the Nursing Continuum. Holistic Nursing Practice, 30(5), 263-268. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/hnp.0000000000000167

Porath, C., & Pearson, C. (2012). Emotional and Behavioral Responses to Workplace Incivility and the Impact of Hierarchical Status. Journal Of Applied Social Psychology, 42, E326-E357. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2012.01020.x

Rad, M., & Karimi Moonaghi, H. (2016). Strategies for Managing Nursing Students' Incivility as Experienced by Nursing Educators: a Qualitative Study. Journal Of Caring Sciences, 5(1), 23-32. http://dx.doi.org/10.15171/jcs.2016.003