Instituting a disruptive conduct policy for medical staff

A healthy work environment is one that promotes interaction and communication among all professionals, a positive and strong working relationship between the nurse manager and physician director, and activities such as joint patient care rounds, shared clinical protocols, and joint teaching of physicians and nurses. There are situations when a physician's unacceptable conduct leads to a disruptive environment for patients, staff, and fellow physicians. This article describes the steps taken in one institution to establish structures and systems to communicate behaviors that are unacceptable and a policy to be followed should disruptive behavior be encountered. Having systems and structures in place assists in promoting a healthy work environment.