Incivility in the Environment of Care: A Positive Approach

Decades from its first reporting, incivility remains a pervasive professional issue in health-care environments. Nursing is recognized as a profession based on the art of caring, but the nursing field is also an environment in which harsh treatment of coworkers has become normative in some workplaces. The realities of high-stress environments, high levels of acuity, and heavy workloads abound on most nursing units. Negative behaviors associated with these realities are issues needing resolution. This article presents a positive approach to incivility, with principles illustrated in a fictitious vignette. This positive approach may help reduce the prevalence of negative behaviors.