These results come from new research from Macquarie University released today in the Medical Journal of Australia.

However people who felt they had the skills to ‘speak up’ were 47 per cent less likely to report frequent incivility or bullying, and experienced less incidents of extreme unprofessional behaviours from co-workers, compared to colleagues without these skills.

Programs that provide staff with the skills to speak up if they feel bullied combined with trusted procedures within the hospital to manage reported unprofessional behaviour are essential, lead researcher Professor Johanna Westbrook from the Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, said.

Overall, nurses, non-clinical staff and younger staff were most at risk, with no difference based on gender.

"Despite worldwide attempts to address the issue of bullying in hospitals, it still occurs and too often. Even tolerance of low-level poor behaviour, such as speaking rudely, is likely to enable more serious behaviours to occur, risking staff well-being and patient safety,” Professor Westbrook said.

“Our research points to a means of improving workplace culture. We found a strong association between an individual’s perceived skills in ‘speaking up’ and the lower likelihood of them experiencing disrespectful behaviour. Also, staff are more likely to report unprofessional behaviour if they trust that management will believe them.

“We have a world-class health system, and we can do more to support our healthcare workers, for their safety and the safety of patients in their care.”

The majority of respondents reported that unprofessional behaviours in their hospitals had a moderate to major adverse impact on teamwork and patient care; while 40 per cent reported a major to moderate effect on their wellbeing.

A key aim of this study was to benchmark current conditions so that the effectiveness of policies and procedures to manage unprofessional behaviour can be measured. The study involved more than 5000 participants from seven large hospitals from three Australian states, making the results likely to be representative of the hospital sector.

Over many years, a lot of time and energy has been directed at trying to reduce bullying, however the rate of incident has not reduced significantly. Designing strategies, based on the real experience of people working in hospitals, and measuring results is the only way forward, Professor Westbrook stated.

The survey examined 26 types of unprofessional behaviour from incivility (eg being spoken to rudely), to bullying and physical assault.

Read the journal article.

Contact Chrissy Clay for more information.