Incivility and Clinical Performance, Teamwork, and Emotions: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Incivility has been identified as a common occurrence in health care settings. While anecdotal evidence exists that these behaviors negatively impact patient care, more robust evidence is lacking.

This randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of exposure to incivility on clinical performance, teamwork, and emotions.

Teams of nurses were randomly assigned to a control or experimental group. The experimental group was exposed to incivility. Both groups were then prompted to perform basic life support on a high-fidelity manikin. Teams were scored on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performance and teamwork. Individuals completed measures of affect and a cognitive test.

There were no differences in CPR, cognitive or teamwork scores, or emotional state. However, 66% of the experimental group had a major error in their CPR performance. None of the control groups made the same error.

These findings support anecdotal evidence that exposure to incivility may contribute to errors in clinical performance.