The NYT ran a nice Op-Ed piece written by an oncology nurse about the impact of disruptive behavior on her morale, communication and, most importantly, patient safety. Unfortunately this nurse’s experience is not uncommon. I hear similar stories practically every day. What made this nurse’s experience different was the callousness of the physician who proudly told her that she could quote him in the piece; in my experience working with physicians, nurses, psychologists, executives and other professionals is that they typically don’t intend to be disruptive, hostile or abusive. We all know, however, that intention and perception are two different things. We often mean no harm but still inflict considerable damage upon those around us.
