Implications of Workplace Conflict in Healthcare Settings
Responding to Natalie’s post
Hello Natalie,
Thank you for the insightful post on the implications of office conflict among healthcare team members. The analysis highlights several critical issues that can arise from such conflicts, including decreased productivity, loss of trust, and potential legal and ethical concerns. Expanding on the points, the medical assistant’s involvement in workplace violence not only jeopardizes patient safety but also breaches fundamental ethical standards. This behavior can lead to serious repercussions, including legal actions for violating HIPAA and other confidentiality agreements. Moreover, the omission of reporting a significant vital sign highlights the need for stringent adherence to clinical protocols and continuous training to mitigate risks and improve patient outcomes.
Subsequently, negative patient outcomes and exposure to workplace bullying underline the importance of a supportive work environment for nurse practitioners. Fostering a culture of open communication and support ensures that all healthcare providers can deliver high-quality care without fear of retaliation. According to McGowan et al. (2023), effective risk management strategies include regular training sessions on handling conflicts and implementing robust reporting systems to address grievances promptly.
The medical director’s role in overseeing the practice necessitates a proactive approach to leadership. Jalilvand et al. (2024) emphasize the need for medical directors to establish clear guidelines and accountability measures to ensure all staff members adhere to ethical and legal standards. Regular audits and quality assurance programs can help in the early identification of issues and prevent potential legal liabilities.
In conclusion, addressing office conflicts through comprehensive risk management strategies and promoting a culture of continuous improvement and strong leadership can mitigate potential ethical and legal issues, ultimately leading to better patient care and a healthier work environment for all staff members.
References
Jalilvand, M., Ahmad Reza Raeisi, & Nasrin Shaarbafchizadeh. (2024). Hospital governance accountability structure: a scoping review. BMC Health Services Research, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-10135-0
McGowan, J., Wojahn, A., & Nicolini, J. R. (2023). Risk management event evaluation and responsibilities. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559326/
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Question 
Please respond to Natalie
.Analyze the case study for potential issues for members of the healthcare team from office conflict. Contrast the potential effects for each member of the healthcare team based on the required readings from the week. Discuss the potential ethical and legal implications for each of the following practice members:
Implications of Workplace Conflict in Healthcare Settings
Medical assistant- The MAs have engaged in workplace violence. This affects their productivity, customer satisfaction, loss of trust, and team cohesion due to creating hostile environments. The staff and patients involved in this activity are likely to suffer from psychological disorders. (Eshah et al., 2024). I think they are putting the practice and patients at risk for public perception concerns due to this poor demeanor. Although not specified what the arguments are about it could likely lead to breach of confidentiality and HIPPA violations being done in patient areas. She also forgot to report a remarkable vital sign that caused a negative outcome and liability concerns for the NP and other administrators. She is lacking in ethics with this behavior. She and the other party may be subject to disciplinary actions.
Nurse Practitioner (NP)- The NP has been subjected to providing negative patient outcomes. This patient was not provided good quality care or provided safe care. The NP could have poor quality ratings and may be investigated by the board of nurses for legal concerns related to neglect. She is facing ethical dilemmas. Being in this situation she has not provided beneficence and non-maleficence. She has also been exposed to workplace bullying. The NP has only been employed for three months and has seen multiple concerning factors. Studies have shown that employment dissatisfaction may lead to ineffective care as well as poor patient outcomes. The NP is likely to leave the practice due to poor quality care. (Krepia et al., 2023).
Medical Director (MD)- The MD is responsible for all patients and can be held accountable for failure to oversee the NP and staff. He can be sued for lack of supervision leading up to adverse patient outcomes and other malpractice concerns.
The practice has not provided effective leadership. The office lacks positivism and has put them in a potential position ethical and legal situation. (Ahmad et al.,2023). The practice should address changes needed to provide quality improvement and have a better work environment for all staff.
2. What strategies would you implement to prevent further episodes of potentially dangerous patient outcomes? Continuous quality improvement (CQI)models are used to improve the quality of the healthcare system. CQI models are a process of identifying concerns, obtaining data to develop an action plan, evaluating the team’s performance, and finding new ways to improve. Quality of care components in this model that help prevent potentially bad patient outcomes are providing effective, efficient patient-centered care. Provider care is safe and timely. This model requires obligations from everyone involved within the outpatient office. Team members must work together, put in time and effort to provide safe patient outcomes, and be professional regardless of office concerns. This model is based on collaboration and problem-solving versus blame. I believe the CQI model would be effective because it requires a team composed of various disciplines. With this outpatient clinic being part of the hospital, the team would be comprised of everyone in the outpatient practice (MA, NP, MD, and frontline line staff) as well as stakeholders from the hospital system. However, implementing this model has potential barriers. Cultural barriers may arise from resisting change, not being focused on culture, apprehensive to report concerns due to fear of blame or repercussions. Unfortunately, in this scenario, I can see where structural barriers could arise as the nurse practitioner has already noted process and system concerns impeding professionalism and safe effective care. As an effective leader, the nurse practitioner should be able to eradicate strategic barriers by selecting effective planning and goals. (Endalamaw et al., 2024).
3. What leadership qualities would you apply to effect positive change in the practice? Focus on the culture of the practice.
“Leadership is an essential indicator of psychological empowerment in workers” (Ahmad et al.,2023). Starting by empowering the staff, I would promote a better working environment and performance levels. In the provided scenario, this NP has already seen patterns from the worker relationships and could have already been involved in incorporating this skill. I understand that creating a positive culture is important to provide emotional safety and a sense of value to the staff improving the clinic as a whole and therefore having excellent patient satisfaction scores. I would promote self-esteem by showing the staff they are trusted. Encourage creativity with the staff as well as promote staff emotional intelligence validating their feelings and concerns. (Ahmad et al.,2023).
References
Ahmad, T., Ali, R. H., Abbas, A., Anwar, A., Ekowati, D., Fenitra, R. M., & Suhariadi, F. (2023). Empowering leadership: role of organizational culture of self-esteem and emotional intelligence on creativity. The Journal of Management Development, 42(3), 201-214. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-10-2021-0288
Endalamaw, A., Khatri, R. B., Mengistu, T. S., Erku, D., Wolka, E., Zewdie, A., & Assefa, Y. (2024). A scoping review of continuous quality improvement in the healthcare system: conceptualization, models and tools, barriers and facilitators, and impact. BMC Health Services Research, 24(1), 487–14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-10828-0Links to an external site.
Eshah, N., Al Jabri, O. J., Aljboor, M. A., Abdalrahim, A., ALBashtawy, M., Alkhawaldeh, A., Saifan, A., Ayed, A., & Rayan, A. (2024). Workplace Violence Against Healthcare Workers: A literature review. SAGE Open Nursing, 10. https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608241258029Links to an external site.
Krepia, V., Diamantidou, V., Kourakos, M., & Kafkia, T. (2023). Job satisfaction of nurses: A literature review. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 16(3), 1754–1759.