A proposed approach to allegations of sexual boundary violation in health care.

William O Cooper; Jody J Foster; Gerald B Hickson; A. J. Reid Finlayson; Karin Rice; Sonya Sanchez; Joshua C Smith; Isabel Dees; Joshua Adler

Study

A proposed approach to allegations of sexual boundary violation in health care.

December 13, 2023

Cooper WO, Foster JJ, Hickson GB, et al. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2023;49(12):671-679.

View more articles from the same authors.

Policies for dealing with unprofessional behavior are widespread but may lack specific processes for allegations of sexual misconduct. This study aimed to assist healthcare organizations to appropriately triage and respond to allegations of sexual boundary violations. Essential components of the organization's response include leadership engagement; coordinated responses; clear articulation of values, policies, and procedures; aligned data reporting; thoughtful reviews; and securing appropriate resources.

PubMed citation

Available at

Related Resources From the Same Author(s)

Optimizing Pediatric Patient Safety in the Emergency Care Setting.

October 19, 2022

Use of unsolicited patient observations to identify surgeons with increased risk for postoperative complications.

March 1, 2017

Association of coworker reports about unprofessional behavior by surgeons with surgical complications in their patients.

July 10, 2019

Qualitative content analysis of coworkers' safety reports of unprofessional behavior by physicians and advanced practice professionals.

April 18, 2018

Using coworker observations to promote accountability for disrespectful and unsafe behaviors by physicians and advanced practice professionals.

March 30, 2016

Association of diagnostic stewardship for blood cultures in critically ill children with culture rates, antibiotic use, and patient outcomes: results of the Bright STAR Collaborative.

May 18, 2022

'Speaking up' about patient safety concerns and unprofessional behaviour among residents: validation of two scales.

August 26, 2015

Speaking up about traditional and professionalism-related patient safety threats: a national survey of interns and residents.

May 10, 2017

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among frontline health care personnel in a multistate hospital network--13 academic medical centers, April-June 2020.

September 23, 2020

Pursuing professional accountability: an evidence-based approach to addressing residents with behavioral problems.

August 1, 2012

Role-modeling and medical error disclosure: a national survey of trainees.

February 12, 2014

Honesty and transparency, indispensable to the clinical mission--Parts I-III.

December 15, 2021

Use of a safety climate questionnaire in UK health care: factor structure, reliability and usability.

November 22, 2006

Development of a professionalism committee approach to address unprofessional medical staff behavior at an academic medical center.

April 9, 2014

Preventing home medication administration errors.

March 14, 2022

Implementation of the I-PASS handoff program in diverse clinical environments: a multicenter prospective effectiveness implementation study.

November 16, 2022

Association between ophthalmologist age and unsolicited patient complaints.

January 10, 2018

Association between surgical trainee daytime sleepiness and intraoperative technical skill when performing septoplasty.

October 24, 2018

Mortality trends after a voluntary checklist-based surgical safety collaborative.

May 3, 2017

Prevalence of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions among US ambulatory care visits, 2010–2011.

May 25, 2016

Adverse events related to accidental unintentional ingestions from cough and cold medications in children.

August 26, 2020

Medication errors from over-the-counter cough and cold medications in children.

May 6, 2020

Intraoperative deaths: who, why, and can we prevent them?

March 9, 2022

Scaling safety: the South Carolina Surgical Safety Checklist experience.

January 9, 2019

Pictograms, units and dosing tools, and parent medication errors: a randomized study.

July 19, 2017

Perspectives in quality: designing the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist.

September 1, 2010

Outpatient opioid prescriptions for children and opioid-related adverse events.

August 8, 2018

An intervention model that promotes accountability: peer messengers and patient/family complaints.

October 9, 2013

A complementary approach to promoting professionalism: identifying, measuring, and addressing unprofessional behaviors.

November 14, 2007

Patient complaints and malpractice risk.

March 6, 2005

The calm before the storm: utilizing in situ simulation to evaluate for preparedness of an alternative care hospital during COVID-19 pandemic.

June 2, 2021

Implementation of peer messengers to deliver feedback: an observational study to promote professionalism in nursing.

January 18, 2023

Major congenital malformations after first-trimester exposure to ACE inhibitors.

June 21, 2006

Helping patients simplify and safely use complex prescription regimens.

March 16, 2011

Explanation and elaboration of the SQUIRE (Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence) Guidelines, V.2.0: examples of SQUIRE elements in the healthcare improvement literature.

May 25, 2016

Implementation of the World Health Organization Trauma Care Checklist Program in 11 centers across multiple economic strata: effect on care process measures.

November 30, 2016

Relationship between patient complaints and surgical complications.

February 15, 2006

A model for the departmental quality management infrastructure within an academic health system.

September 28, 2016

Relationship between operating room teamwork, contextual factors, and safety checklist performance.

August 31, 2016

Design and implementation of an application and associated services to support interdisciplinary medication reconciliation efforts at an integrated healthcare delivery network.

December 6, 2006

Association of opioid-related adverse drug events with clinical and cost outcomes among surgical patients in a large integrated health care delivery system.

June 20, 2018

Pilot testing of a model for insurer-driven, large-scale multicenter simulation training for operating room teams.

December 11, 2013

Effect of a 19-item surgical safety checklist during urgent operations in a global patient population.

June 2, 2010

Changes in medical errors after implementation of a handoff program.

November 12, 2014

Effect of computer order entry on prevention of serious medication errors in hospitalized children.

March 19, 2008

Quality of traditional surveillance for public reporting of nosocomial bloodstream infection rates.

November 17, 2010

Using social and behavioural science to support COVID-19 pandemic response.

June 3, 2020

The Canadian Adverse Events Study: the incidence of adverse events among hospital patients in Canada.

March 6, 2005

Multimodal system designed to reduce errors in recording and administration of drugs in anaesthesia: prospective randomised clinical evaluation.

October 5, 2011

Safety culture in cardiac surgical teams: data from five programs and national surgical comparison.

September 23, 2015

Does teamwork improve performance in the operating room? A multilevel evaluation.

March 3, 2010

Improving handoffs in the emergency department.

October 28, 2009

A patient-centered prescription drug label to promote appropriate medication use and adherence.

January 18, 2017

Medication errors related to computerized order entry for children.

November 22, 2006

Implementation of an online reporting system to identify unprofessional behaviors and mistreatment directed at trainees at an academic medical center.

December 21, 2022

Work system design for patient safety: the SEIPS model.

October 12, 2011

Development of an emergency department trigger tool using a systematic search and modified Delphi process.

July 13, 2016

Fast forward rounds: an effective method for teaching medical students to transition patients safely across care settings.

May 13, 2009

The frequency of intravenous medication administration errors related to smart infusion pumps: a multihospital observational study.

March 16, 2016

Diagnostic blood loss from phlebotomy and hospital-acquired anemia during acute myocardial infarction.

August 24, 2011

Preventable anesthesia mishaps: a study of human factors.

March 27, 2005

Patient safety events reported in general practice: a taxonomy.

March 5, 2008

The AHRQ Report on Diagnostic Errors in the Emergency Department: the wrong answer to the wrong question.

June 28, 2023

Effect of genetic diagnosis on patients with previously undiagnosed disease.

November 7, 2018

Are evidence-based practices associated with effective prevention of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers in US academic medical centers?

May 25, 2016

Time of day effects on the incidence of anesthetic adverse events.

August 23, 2006

Implementation of the surgical safety checklist in South Carolina hospitals is associated with improvement in perceived perioperative safety.

May 11, 2016

A case for safety leadership team training of hospital managers.

March 2, 2011

Changes in medication safety indicators in England throughout the covid-19 pandemic using OpenSAFELY: population based, retrospective cohort study of 57 million patients using federated analytics.

June 7, 2023

Physician and nurse well-being and preferred interventions to address burnout in hospital practice: factors associated with turnover, outcomes, and patient safety.

July 19, 2023

Clinical data sharing improves quality measurement and patient safety.

March 24, 2021

Team management training using crisis resource management results in perceived benefits by healthcare workers.

October 24, 2007

Evaluation of an intervention aimed at improving voluntary incident reporting in hospitals.

June 27, 2007

Patient safety in the cardiac operating room: human factors and teamwork: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.

August 21, 2013

Extended work shifts and neurobehavioral performance in resident-physicians.

March 10, 2021

The Threats to Australian Patient Safety (TAPS) study: incidence of reported errors in general practice.

August 2, 2006

Operational failures detected by frontline acute care nurses.

March 29, 2017

The I-READI quality and safety framework: a health system’s response to airway complications in mechanically ventilated patients with Covid-19.

February 17, 2021

The effect of clinician feedback interventions on opioid prescribing.

April 27, 2022

Families as partners in hospital error and adverse event surveillance.

March 8, 2017

Quality improvement and patient care checklists in intrahospital transfers involving pediatric surgery patients.

March 7, 2012

Race, postoperative complications, and death in apparently healthy children.

August 12, 2020

Simulation-based assessment of the management of critical events by board-certified anesthesiologists.

September 13, 2017

Work system barriers and facilitators of a team health information technology.

September 13, 2023

Making inpatient medication reconciliation patient centered, clinically relevant and implementable: a consensus statement on key principles and necessary first steps.

October 27, 2010

Incident reporting system does not detect adverse drug events: a problem for quality improvement.

March 27, 2005

Consensus statement on effective communication of urgent diagnoses and significant, unexpected diagnoses in surgical pathology and cytopathology from the College of American Pathologists and Association of Directors of Anatomic and Surgical Pathology.

October 26, 2011

Adverse-event-reporting practices by US hospitals: results of a national survey.

January 7, 2009

Patient safety, resident well-being and continuity of care with different resident duty schedules in the intensive care unit: a randomized trial.

March 18, 2015

Physicians' perspectives regarding prescription drug monitoring program use within the Department of Veterans Affairs: a multi-state qualitative study.

April 18, 2018

Infection prevention in the operating room anesthesia work area.

January 30, 2019

Unit of measurement used and parent medication dosing errors.

July 30, 2014

Prevalence of adverse events in the hospitals of five Latin American countries: results of the 'Iberoamerican Study of Adverse Events' (IBEAS).

August 10, 2011

Health and social care-associated harm amongst vulnerable children in primary care: mixed methods analysis of national safety reports.

April 1, 2020

Involvement of parents in critical incidents in a neonatal-paediatric intensive care unit.

December 16, 2009

Adverse drug events in a paediatric intensive care unit: a prospective cohort.

March 6, 2013

Patient safety after implementation of a coproduced family centered communication programme: multicenter before and after intervention study.

December 19, 2018

Incidence, nature and causes of avoidable significant harm in primary care in England: retrospective case note review.

December 16, 2020

Prescription opioid dose reductions and potential adverse events: a multi-site observational cohort study in diverse US health systems.

November 29, 2023

Impact of a standard medication chart on prescribing errors: a before-and-after audit.

December 16, 2009

Related Resources

Making Healthcare Safer IV: A Continuous Updating of Patient Safety Harms and Practices.

April 22, 2024

Associations between organizational communication and patients' experience of prolonged emotional impact following medical errors.

April 17, 2024

Feeling safe in the context of digitalization in healthcare: a scoping review.

April 10, 2024

Perspective

Cybersecurity and How to Maintain Patient Safety

March 27, 2024

Interview

In Conversation with...Barbara Pelletreau and John Riggi about Cybersecurity

March 27, 2024

Interview

In Conversation With...Stephen Hines, PhD and Monika Haugstetter, MHA, MSN, RN, CPHQ about TeamSTEPPS 3.0

February 28, 2024

Perspective

Revising TeamSTEPPS: The Evolution of Patient Safety Teamwork Training

February 28, 2024

Physician perspectives on addressing anti-Black racism.

February 14, 2024

Patient Experience, Patient Safety, and Provider Well-Being: Associations and Paths for Quality Improvement.

February 6, 2024

Responding to medical errors — implementing the modern ethical paradigm.

January 31, 2024

Rapid expansion of the Healing Emotional Lives of Peers program during COVID-19: a second victim peer support program for healthcare professionals.

January 31, 2024

On Patient Safety.

January 13, 2024

Investigating the influence of selected leadership styles on patient safety and quality of care: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

December 20, 2023

Community Health Systems’ ongoing journey to zero preventable harm.

December 6, 2023

When mistakes multiply: how inadequate responses to medical mishaps erode trust in American medicine.

December 6, 2023

It depends who you ask: divergences in staff and external stakeholder narratives about the causes of a healthcare failure.

November 29, 2023

Authentic leadership at the Cleveland Clinic: psychological safety in the midst of crisis.

November 15, 2023

Interview

In Conversation with... Cheryl Jones about Addressing Workplace Violence and Creating a Safer Workplace

October 31, 2023

Perspectives on Safety

Addressing Workplace Violence and Creating a Safer Workplace

October 31, 2023

Improving patient safety by shifting power from health professionals to patients.

October 25, 2023

Bringing the equity lens to patient safety event reporting.

October 25, 2023

Right Kind of Wrong: Why Learning to Fail can Teach us to Thrive.

October 18, 2023

Why admitting to mistakes can help doctors (and patients).

October 4, 2023

Abbreviation use decreases effective clinical communication and can compromise patient safety.

October 4, 2023

Fragmented: A Doctor's Quest to Piece Together American Health Care.

September 27, 2023

How different countries respond to adverse events whilst patients' rights are protected.

September 27, 2023

Global Knowledge Sharing Platform for Patient Safety.

September 20, 2023

In search of an international multidimensional action plan for second victim support: a narrative review.

September 13, 2023

Annual Speak Up Data Reports.

September 6, 2023

Amid lack of accountability for bias in maternity care, a California family seeks justice.

August 16, 2023

See More About The Topic

Hospitals

Ambulatory Clinic or Office

Medicine

Nurse Care

Pharmacy

A proposed approach to allegations of sexual boundary violation in health care.

Connect With Us

Sign up for Email Updates

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

A proposed approach to allegations of sexual boundary violation in health care.

Connect With Us

Sign up for Email Updates

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Submit Your Innovations

Continue as a Guest

Continue Logged In

Submit Your Innovations

Continue as a Guest

Continue logged in

New Users to the PSNet site