Intimidation and disruptive behaviors in the health care setting

Intimidation and disruptive behavior can undermine patient care and cause staff dissatisfaction and turnover of professionals in the health care setting. These behaviors have been linked to patient safety issues, nurse satisfaction, nurse retention, as well as ineffective communication and collaboration (Fontaine & Gerardi, 2005; Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), 2004; Martin, 2008; Rosenstein & O‟Daniel, 2005). The Joint Commission has made recommendations to reduce the incidence of disruptive behaviors. Hospitals are being asked to take responsibility, hold physicians accountable for their actions, and address workplace intimidation (ISMP, 2004; Rosenstein & O‟Daniel, 2005; The Joint Commission, July 2008). The purpose of this investigation was to examine the perception of intimidation and disruptive behaviors in the health care setting. Differences, if any, between perceptions and the frequency and effects of intimidation and disruptive behaviors was investigated. Data collected from identified variables can assist hospital administrators to understand the perceptions of intimidation and disruptive behaviors in their organizations and identify contributing factors that negatively affect those working in the health care setting. This investigation utilized a convenience sample of nurses and administrators working in two hospital settings in a Midwest rural state. A pilot study with a sample size of 7 and a larger convenience study with a sample size of 104 were used. This addressed the power analysis recommendation for at least 98 in the sample. This sample size will reduce the likelihood of a Type II error. The first research questions investigated was, “What is the difference, if any, of perception of intimidation and disruptive behavior frequency among nurses with varying levels of work experience?” The second research question was, “What is the difference, if any, of perception of the effects of intimidation and disruptive behavior frequency amon