Keywords

civility, communication, incivility, patient safety, virtual learning

 

Authors

  1. Clark, Cynthia M. PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN
  2. Dunham, Michelle PhD

Abstract

Background: Incivility and disrespect in health care weaken teamwork and collaboration, diminish communication, and can impact an individual's ability and willingness to speak up and advocate for patient care.

 

Problem: Evidence-based teaching strategies are needed to prepare nursing students to address incivility in academic and practice settings.

 

Approach: The authors describe a virtual learning experience designed to prepare students to prevent and address incivility in academic and health care environments and report preliminary assessment data from student users.

 

Outcomes: More than 90% of 22 000 student respondents indicated they were satisfied with the learning experience, were made aware of the consequences of incivility and its effects on patient safety, and planned to apply techniques for addressing incivility into their nursing practice

 

Conclusion: Civility mentor is effective in educating students about the consequences of incivility, developing skills to foster civility, communicating more assertively, and addressing incivility in academic and health care environments.