A new paper from Center team members, Duke University Health System colleagues, and friends at Safe & Reliable Healthcare highlights the prevalence and significance of disruptive behaviors in healthcare.

Nearly 8,000 workers at a large west coast healthcare system were asked about disruptive behaviors in the workplace. The results:

• 97.8% of work settings had at least one person who reported problematic disruptive behaviors in that work setting.
• The most common disruptive behaviors were bullying and turning one’s back before a conversation is over.

In addition, higher levels of disruptive behaviors were significantly associated with poorer safety climate and teamwork climate, as well as increased burnout, problems with work-life balance and depression symptoms.

At Duke University, we are committed to maintaining a professional and safe work environment for all team members, patients and visitors. One of our programs aimed at directly reducing the incidence of disruptive behaviors is our Professional Accountability (PACT) Program, which is a free resource to all Duke Health employees.

Dr. Allison Hadley presented on disruptive behaviors at a recent Society of Critical Care Medicine conference. Read about that work here.