Incivility in healthcare: the impact of poor communication.

Joseph H Guppy; Hedda Widlund; Ross Munro; Jim Price

Review

Incivility in healthcare: the impact of poor communication.

August 2, 2023

Guppy JH, Widlund H, Munro R, et al. BMJ Lead. 2024;8(1):83-87.

View more articles from the same authors.

Incivility hinders clinical performance, increases errors, and negatively impacts safety culture. This review examines recent literature on the effects of incivility in healthcare and strategies to address it. The article proposes ways to implement those strategies, with an emphasis on the UK National Health Service. The authors conclude that tackling incivility begins with highlighting the issue organizationally, regionally, and nationally; ensuring robust reporting and recognition strategies; and, devising mechanisms to confront incivility.

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