Health Care Conflict

Decision making is also an important factor that can result in conflict. In the past nurses had little to do with complex decisions in the health care industry but the roles have changed significantly. Some physicians find it difficult

ObamaCare, also known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, is a Health care reform law that was signed on March 23, 2010. ObamaCare’s goal is to provide more Americans with affordable health care insurance. ObamaCare also hopes to improve the quality of healthcare and health insurance in America, regulate the healthcare industry, and reduce the cost of healthcare in the United States. ObamaCare is made up of ten titles; I: Quality, Affordable Healthcare for all United State Citizens, II: The Role of Public Programs, III: Improving the Quality and Efficiency of Healthcare, IV: Prevention of Chronic Disease and Improving Public Health, V: Healthcare Workforce, VI: Transparency

An effective conflict management approach is the key to the realization of improved quality of healthcare service, patient safety and satisfaction, holistic staff morale boost. Most important of all is the line of communication between all the moving parts in the medical team. A break in the communication line can spell danger in lives of the very patients that they are being entrusted with. The case of Dr. Michael Henry surrounding the conflict between physicians and staff at the Adams Memorial Hospital is one well outlined and a classic case example. Here the hospital’s Board of Trustees (BOT) need to decide whether to revoke Dr. Henry’s medical staff membership and clinical privileges or not considering evidentiary information presented

As a result, how nursing professionals’ respond to conflict can impact the organizational culture

Effective conflict management is important to ensure that that teams run smoothly. It is important that all members involved remain calm, open minded and adaptable. Using this positive approach conflict can provide an opportunity for growth and development. If the conflict is mismanaged it can harm the working relationship. In my job role, it is key for me to communicate with my employer and colleagues in times of conflict to get it resolved rather than carrying it around on my shoulders as it is unhealthy and can lead to stress, which in turn could have a knock-on effect to the care I give to our customers.

Nurses are required to interact with multiple individuals on a daily basis. These individuals include the patient, patient’s family members, and other healthcare team members. As the nurse works with these groups of individuals, he or she may experience an interpersonal conflict with any of them. However, it is more likely for the nurse to experience conflicts with other healthcare workers. When the nurse experiences an interpersonal conflict with other members of the healthcare team, tension rises in the workplace, causing stress to all other workers even if they are not directly involved in the conflict. According to Higginbottom, “Employees suffering from high stress levels have lower engagement, are less productive and have higher absenteeism levels than those not working under excessive pressure” (2014, para. 1). In other words, interpersonal conflict at workplace can lower the productivity of the whole healthcare team. I have been licensed as a registered nurse since July of 2013; therefore, my experience regarding interpersonal conflict at workplace is limited. However, I remember one incidence clearly. During my second year of working as a registered nurse, I have experienced an interpersonal conflict with one of the staff at the clinic I worked in, which resulted in dismissal of that staff from the clinic.

Collaboration, especially in this situation could have caused both nurses and the aid to avoid the conflict all together. Day shift tends to be more hectic than night shift, therefore, each could have

1. There are five types of conflict. These are misunderstanding-miscommunication; disregard or disrespect for other people; conflicting egos; impatience; and fear and insecurity over loss of control. In the health care setting, conflicting egos and impatience are probably the two most likely in that order. In particular, conflicts can occur among physicians and administrative staff or between physicians or involving nurses as well. Many people in the health care setting are experts in their fields, and are specialists, so might have a certain degree of ego attached to their jobs. Hayward (2007) suggests that egoism in work contradicts the objective of success, and therefore makes the case for building an organizational culture seeks to remove ego as much as possible.

In nursing, as in most industries, when looking to blame someone for the existence of incivility, most look upward (figure 3). Managers, supervisors and instructors are often sought out for guidance and for modeling appropriate, team-building behaviors.

Huber states that “creative problem solving is the most effective mode of conflict management” (2014, p. 175). Initially, the nurse manager should allow all parties involved an opportunity to explain their position. This projects an authentic interest and commitment to fairness on the part of the manager, as the manager attempts to reframe the conflict into a productive outcome.

Managing conflict in the workplace is necessary for having excellent care in the healthcare field. Conflicts will always exist in the world and also in the health care world. In the health care field conflict may exist between physicians and other physicians, Physicians and nurses, nurses and other nurses, physicians and other staff members, and between the staff or the health care team and the patient or patient's family. According to the article by Ramsey “The conflicts may range from disagreements to major controversies that may lead to litigation or violence. Conflicts have an adverse effect on productivity, morale, and patient care.

The lateral violence from colleagues and hierarchical violence from managers in nursing is deeply rooted. Arguably, it should be reviewed and managed as a matter of urgency. Education and training on the conflict management should continue to support future

Conflict is something that will always be present in the health care world. So the question is how will one handle it? We have to always remember we are responsible for our actions in every situation. So remember to ask ourselves are we going to allow conflict to have a positive impact on patient care. For example new techniques just as the importance of sterility in certain situations derived from a conflict. As well as disagreement in values or beliefs may cause a positive effect it can just as well cause a negative effect. Due to high emotions and collaboration with other health care personnel conflict can cause a disruption in patient care and can jeopardize workplace relationships if not handled properly. Choosing the appropriate approach

What factors contribute to their conflict resolution styles? Do you know of anyone who handles relationship conflicts effectively? If so, describe their conflict

Conflict analysis is vital for the complexity leader to gain insight into issues of conflict to avoid damage to the victim, the workplace environment, other staff members, and patients (McKibben, 2017). Conflict analysis allows nurse leaders to distinguish between perceived conflict and the presence of actual conflict (McKibben, 2017). In this scenario, one nurse’s exposure to a stressful, end-of-life position creates frustration which is then conceptualized by another nurse as being bullied (Crowell, 2016). The complexity leader takes steps to resolve the conflict by engaging in crucial conversations (Crowell, 2016) to clarify and examine different points of view about the situation (Folse, 2015). Additionally, the complexity