This document discusses conflict between nurses and physicians in healthcare settings. It provides definitions of conflict and describes several types of conflict including latent, perceived, felt, and manifest conflict. Frameworks for assessing conflict are presented, including components like parties involved, issues/events, power, regulation of conflict, and style of management. Factors that can influence conflict between nurses and physicians are examined, like individual characteristics, interpersonal relationships, and organizational stress. Styles of managing conflict are also outlined, such as avoidance, accommodation, compromising, collaboration. The document argues that the collaborative approach is best for resolving conflicts as it leads to improved relationships, satisfaction, and patient safety compared to other styles.
2. “Conflict is a process that begins when
an individual or group perceives
differences and opposition between
him- or herself and another individual
or group about interests, beliefs, or values
that matter to him or her.”
(De Dreu, Harinck, & Van, 1999; Wall & Callister, 1995)
3. occurs in routine life
Conflicts
Different person different personality
Changing health care system – increased
interaction- more chances of conflicts
Effects-positive& negative
4. education of nurses
Increased
More rights/responsibilities in patient’s treatment
Difficult for physicians to accept such autonomy
May find difficulties to trust diagnosis by nurses
Nurses feel stress and job dissatisfaction
Affect the nurse-physician relationship
Conflict may occur
5. Framework for the assessment of conflict
The components are PEPRS:
Parties involved
Events/issues (goals, behavior)
Power
Regulation of conflict(limiting factors,
solution used)
Style of management
6. FORTE (1997) JEHN (1995)
Interpersonal Task content
Intrapersonal Emotional
Inter group Administrative
Intra group
7. Latent conflict : conditions present; but not
recognized
Perceived conflict : perceive the occurrence
Felt conflict : take matter seriously, but will not
react openly
Manifest conflict : reflects emotions in the behavior
Conflict aftermath : solved and a new working
relationship is established
10. “Conflicts are cracks in a broken system, but they
can also be source of creativity”
Strong relationships
New better ways
Decrease stress
Increase work capacity
Increase productivity
11. Avoidance
Frequently used by nurse & physician
Positive Negative
Postpone the matter Delayed decision
Save time Patient’s safety
To withdraw Interpersonal
relations
Diplomatic Communication lack
12. Emotional type of conflict
Save time and let both of them (physician-
nurse) handle the problem
Should judge the exact time to interfere in the
matter, if required
14. To deal with emotional type of conflict
Keep a close watch , so whenever required
he/she can settle the issue
15. Accommodation
importance to other’s wish
More
To avoid unpleasant disputes
In past nurses used more frequently
Study on 354 professional nurses in
Thailand in 2000
41.2% used accommodation
29.2% used compromising approach
16. Often uses this method
Give physicians what they want
Maintain good relations
May become avoidance or pressing for the
nurses due to accommodation between
manager and physicians
17. Compromising
Both should compromise
Good interpersonal relations
According to the study on 126 nursing
students, undergraduate and
graduate students used
compromising approach followed
by avoidance
18. Collaboration
“Nurses and physician working
together cooperatively to achieve
shared problem solving, conflict
resolution, decision making,
communication and coordination”
19. Collaboration
better way
New
No compromise
Mutual respect
Satisfaction
attitude
Co-operative
Increase work capacity
Improve patient’s safety
20. Study : in 5 hospitals on 75 physician & 54
head nurses; collaborating method is chosen
more frequently by nurses & least frequently
by physicians
Improving collaborative communication has
benefits of increasing patient survival,
shortening length of hospital stay, enhancing
professional relationships, staff satisfaction.
21. safety is directly proportional
Patient’s
to the physician-nurse communication
that decreases medical errors
understand the severity of the
Must
effect of their conflict on patient’s
life as well as hospital’s productivity
22. Collaborative approach is beneficial for
physicians, nurses as well as patients
Manager should try to use this approach to
deal with physician-nurse conflict
23. approach is the best
Collaborative
Physician should understand
& accept the change
Attain conflict resolution training program
Training improves conflict management skills
in professional as well as personal life