Safety committee members may want to take a gander at The Joint Commission’s new Sentinel Event Alert, which discusses ways to prevent intimidating and disruptive behavior from staff members.

 

The Alert centers itself on The Joint Commission’s leadership standards, though EC.2.10 could come into play as well in extreme circumstances (e.g., workplace violence). In one of its recommendations, the Alert suggests that hospitals develop zero-tolerance policies for behaviors that could escalate to assaults or other criminal acts.

 

Ultimately, intimidating behavior by a few offenders can lead to widespread patient quality lapses, including medical errors, according to The Joint Commission.