Quality and Patient Safety Article Review

ARTICLE REVIEW

Article Review: Quality and Patient Safety

In the article titled ‘Associations Between a New Disruptive Behaviors Scale and Teamwork, Patient Safety, Work-Life Balance, Burnout, and Depression’, the authors make an observation to the effect that disruptive behaviors are a rather frequent occurrence. As the authors further indicate, the said behaviors are measurable and have an effect on the culture of safety as well as the wellbeing of those who work in healthcare settings. More specifically, behaviors deemed unprofessional and/or disruptive do result in a poor working environment in as far as teamwork is concerned. Further, such behaviors have also been associated with negative outcomes on the safety front. The authors indicate that in essence, those who work in healthcare settings that condone unprofessional and disruptive behaviors are likely to exhibit symptoms consistent with depression and burnout. I am in agreement with the findings of the authors. This is more so the case given that disruptive behaviors have the capacity to negatively impact the well-being as well as safety of team members from a psychological perspective. Patient safety is also compromised because disruptive behaviors discourage healthcare workers against making meaningful contributions towards a safe and productive environment.

There are various strategies that could be deployed in an attempt to reign in disruptive behaviors so as to minimize some of the negative outcomes highlighted by the authors of this article. One such strategy is ensuring that communication between healthcare workers and those in leadership positions in healthcare settings is unhindered (Fottler, Malvey, and Slovensky, 2015). This is especially important given that open communication offers an opportunity for those who would want to speak up to do so in easy formats. All complaints should be heard and the relevant follow ups instituted. There is also need to have a workplace policy that clearly defines what is acceptable and what is not in as far as staff interactions are concerned. Fottler, Malvey, and Slovensky (2015) point out that those in leadership positions should not make the mistake of assuming that employees are capable of instinctively making a distinction between behavior that is disruptive and that which is not.