• Susan L Johnson, Katie A Haerling, Weichao Yuwen, Van Huynh, and Chi Le.
• Nursing and Healthcare Leadership, University of Washington Tacoma.
• J Nurs Care Qual. 2020 Jan 1; 35 (1): 70-76.

BackgroundIncivility has been identified as a common occurrence in health care settings. While anecdotal evidence exists that these behaviors negatively impact patient care, more robust evidence is lacking.PurposeThis randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of exposure to incivility on clinical performance, teamwork, and emotions.MethodsTeams of nurses were randomly assigned to a control or experimental group. The experimental group was exposed to incivility. Both groups were then prompted to perform basic life support on a high-fidelity manikin. Teams were scored on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performance and teamwork. Individuals completed measures of affect and a cognitive test.ResultsThere were no differences in CPR, cognitive or teamwork scores, or emotional state. However, 66% of the experimental group had a major error in their CPR performance. None of the control groups made the same error.ConclusionsThese findings support anecdotal evidence that exposure to incivility may contribute to errors in clinical performance.

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