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.

1. Dr. Krupesh Thacker

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

8.  Individual characteristics
values, education, age, demography
 Interpersonal factors
trust, respect, communication
 Organizational factors
interdependence

9. stress
Job
Negative Emotions
Absenteeism
to leave
Intent
Medical Errors
Reduced productivity
Patient’s safety
Avoidance
dissatisfaction
Job

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

13. Pressing
difference
Power
 Overestimate self/other’s power
 Underestimate self/other’s power
Nurses feel insulted, mental stress, job
dissatisfaction, negative emotions

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