Health
My colleague made a derogatory comment about a patient - what now?
Key Points
Take a breath before you tackle itWill Topping, Civility Save Lives member and associate medical director for professional standards and culture at East and North Herts NHS Teaching Trust“Be honest. You've experienced this. There are several things at play when a colleague misspeaks unintentionally or, more worryingly, intentionally.
Take a breath before you tackle itWill Topping, Civility Save Lives member and associate medical director for professional standards and culture at East and North Herts NHS Teaching Trust“Be honest. You've experienced this. We all have. There are several things at play when a colleague misspeaks unintentionally or, more worryingly, intentionally.“Firstly, did your colleague mean to be offensive? Perpetrators often don't intend to cause harm, and they fail to understand the impact of what they have said. Helping them understand this is key.“Secondly, where is your colleague emotionally? Have they just finished a night shift? Is there something going on in their personal life? External pressures can turn a civil clinician into an uncivil one.“By understanding these two things you can begin to work out how to tackle the issue. Doing so in the heat of the moment is likely to cause more upset so take the chance to step...