Being More Than A Bystander

Unprofessional behaviours by health professionals, in hospitals, are associated with a significantly increased risk of preventable patient complications. Such behaviours result in an environment that results in increased, and unnecessary psychological stress of health professionals and resulting in teams not working to the best of their ability. Flattening the hospital hierarchy creates an environment where team members feel safe to speak up, without fear of reprisal and knowing their opinion will be given appropriate consideration. Speaking up and calling out inappropriate behaviours, in a respectful, non judgmental manner will result in the majority of people modifying their behaviour. Improving the culture of our workplaces will result in people wanting to go to work, improved team communication and performance, and ultimately better patient outcomes. For more: codachange.org/podcasts.