Patient mistreatment of health care professionals

Background Mistreatment of health care professionals by patients is an ongoing problem. We aimed to construct and evaluate a curriculum that would prepare health care professionals for mistreatment by patients. Methods Lessons learned from 15 interviews and 2 focus groups with health care professionals were distilled into a multi-modal curriculum including didactics, simulation videos and role-play scenarios aimed to improve confidence in addressing mistreatment. This curriculum was disseminated at five educational workshops to health care professionals of various training groups and experience levels. Pre- and post-surveys were distributed to assess changes in participant's perspectives on readiness to address mistreatment. The signed-rank test was implemented to compare pre- and post- data. Results Participants were more likely to agree post-workshop that they had the right words to say, had a plan for what to do, and were more willing to speak up when they themselves or someone else was mistreated (p < .001). They were also more likely to agree post-workshop that there was something they could do to address patient mistreatment (p < .001). Conclusions Participant familiarity and confidence in responding to patient mistreatment increased. Our curriculum may serve as a foundation for institutions seeking to equip their educators, health care professionals, and trainees with strategies for addressing this important issue.

Automated summary

The study focused on how healthcare professionals can address mistreatment by patients through a multi-modal curriculum including didactics, simulation videos, and role-play. After the workshops, participants were more willing to speak up and felt they could take action in response to mistreatment. This curriculum effectively increased participants' familiarity and confidence in responding to patient mistreatment.