Incivility through the continuum of nursing: A concept analysis

The aim of this study is to explore the gap between incivility in the workplace and academia and develop a connection to the psychosocial distress effects on the victims.

While incivility in nursing has reached epidemic proportions in the past decade, the current definitions of incivility are limited to the workplace or academia and lack consideration of the consequences related to the social well-being of the victim.

Rodgers' evolutionary method was used in this study.

Following the PRISMA guidelines, articles were reviewed from PubMed and CINAHL between 2008 to 2019. Twenty articles describing incivility faced by staff nurses, student nurses, academic faculty, and nursing administrators were included in the final analysis.

Inductive thematic analysis was used to determine the antecedents, attributes, and consequences of incivility in nursing.

Findings included a culture of incivility and power gradients as antecedents. The attributes of incivility were verbal or non-verbal behaviors that demean, dismiss, or exclude the individual. Consequences of incivility are psychosocial and physiological distress.

A broader definition of incivility may be appropriate. Further research is needed to determine interventions to mitigate the effects of incivility.