Study Guide for Disruptive/Impaired Behavior Quiz
Too many employees in today’s hospitals find themselves in a workplace where verbal abuse,threats. and physical assaults are commonplace. The attacks seem to come from all sides: unruly patients, volatile family members, abrasive doctors and angry colleagues.
When erratic behavior and the threat of physical violence become part of the clinical setting, hospital employees feel unsafe and uncomfortable. Equipping employees with the skills to identify disruptive and impaired behavior early on can help to prevent or de-escalate tension and to create a culture of confidence and job satisfaction.
We want to emphasize the need for all individuals working in Athens-Limestone Hospital to treat others with respect, courtesy and dignity and to conduct themselves in a professional and cooperative manner. We have a policy in place that addresses behavior that does not meet that standard. In dealing with disruptive or impaired behavior, the protection of patients, employees, physicians and others in the hospital and the orderly operation of the hospital are paramount concerns.
“Disruptive behavior” includes, but is not limited to, the following:
· threatening or abusive language directed at patients, hospital employees or physicians (e.g., belittling, berating, and or threatening another individual);
· degrading or demeaning comments regarding patients, families, hospital employees or the hospital;
· profanity or similarly offensive language while on hospital grounds or while speaking with hospital employees;
· inappropriate physical contact that is threatening or intimidating to another individual;
· public derogatory comments about the quality of care being provided by physicians, hospital employees or the hospital; and/or
· inappropriate medical record entries concerning the quality of care being provided by any other individual.
A physician or health care practitioner is considered “impaired” when he or she is unable to exercise prudent medical judgment and/or is unable to practice with reasonable skill and safety without jeopardy to patient care due to such factors as:
· medical illness,
· alcoholism / addition
· substance abuse,
· mental illness and/or
· behavioral disorders
Hospital employees who observe, or are subjected to, disruptive or impaired behavior exhibited by a practitioner shall notify their supervisor about the incident in a timely manner. If their supervisor’s behavior is at issue, they shall follow the chain of command.
If at any time a hospital employee or health care practitioner suspects that the well being of a patient is in jeopardy due to disruptive or impaired behavior, the Chief Executive Officer, Assistant Administrator and Patient Safety Officer shall be notified immediately.
The practitioner shall be advised of the nature of the incident and that his or her conduct was inappropriate, inconsistent with the standards of the hospital and will not be tolerated. The practitioner will also be advised that any retaliation against the person reporting the incident may be grounds for exclusion from all hospital facilities.
Disruptive and impaired behavior is detrimental to patients, employees and physicians. We ask all employees to report any suspected disruptive or impaired behavior to their supervisors to help keep Athens-Limestone Hospital a great place to work!