Disrespect in Healthcare: Silent Threat to Patient Safety and Healing

Shimla,Dec 23 Dr. Rahul Gupta IGMC:

Disrespectful behavior chills communication and collaboration, undercuts individual contributions to care, undermines morale, creates an unhealthy or hostile work environment, and ultimately harms patients. These behaviors have been linked to adverse events, medical errors, compromises in patient safety, and even patient mortality. Disrespect causes the recipient to experience fear, anger, shame, confusion, uncertainty, isolation, self-doubt, depression, and a whole host of physical ailments, such as insomnia, fatigue, nausea, and hyper tension. These feelings diminish a person’s ability to think clearly, make sound judgments, and speak up regarding questions or concerns. Patient confidence has also been undermined by disrespectful behaviors, making patients less likely to ask questions or provide important information.

Disrespectful behavior can arise in any health care setting, and both the stressful nature of the environment and human nature play roles in this destructive behavior. We are driven to function in “survival” mode when forced to cope with difficult personal frustrations and system failures. Disrespectful behavior is often “survival” behavior gone awry. Although personal frustrations and system failures do not excuse disrespectful behavior, they often create a tipping point by which an individual is pushed over the edge into full-blown disrespectful behavior. Characteristics of the individual, such as insecurity, anxiety, depression, aggressiveness, and narcissism, can also kick in and serve as a form of self-protection against feelings of inadequacy. The current events influencing mood, attitude, and actions, also contribute to disrespectful behavior.

Differences in communication styles and power dynamics can also play a role. For example, physicians may get frustrated when patients present information in more detail than they believe is necessary. The patient may get frustrated when physicians do not seem interested in the information provided. These differences in communication styles can lead to disrespectful behavior. Even the hierarchical nature of health care with a sense of status can lead those at the top of a hierarchy to treat others lower on the hierarchy with disrespectful behaviour.

In the present while being part of highly literate society, there is need for introspection and revisiting the value of communication skill which is need of hour in the settings of the Hospitals being temple for ailing Human beings.