Nurses are, first and foremost, human. Humans are known to make mistakes. However, the average person in the workplace can make mistakes, and the consequences may be a loss of revenue, the loss of a client, the loss of a contract, or damage to a piece of machinery. Each of these outcomes, although detrimental to a workplace, is relatively repairable. When a nurse makes a mistake, the outcome may not be repairable. It can lead to death or permanent disability for a patient. In today’s healthcare environment, nurses are functioning under extreme conditions of time constraints, poor staffing, lack of leadership, lack of support from managers, and bullying from physicians, managers, and other nursing staff at times. Nurses who feel bullied may have reduced judgment in the workplace, which may contribute to mistakes. Nurse bullying has a direct impact on the quality of patient care. Defense attorneys, insurance agencies, and hospital risk management departments should be aware of the new environment being fostered in hospitals in which nurses are functioning under duress and bullied on a daily basis.
https://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/23/Quick_Safety_Issue_24_June_2016.pdf
