The role of clinical ethics in issues related to workplace violence and patient and visitor conduct.
Saturday, October 14, 2023
7:30 AM – 8:45 AM ET
Location: Galena (Fourth Floor)
Increasingly, healthcare organizations are responding to episodes of workplace violence and issues related to patient and visitor conduct. As a large, academic destination medical center, with multiple sites, there are policies and procedures regarding patient and visitor conduct and workplace violence to guide clinical teams in addressing such issues. These behavioral episodes result in the creation of a patient behavioral safety plan, the administration of a behavioral warning letter, and even dismissal from the practice.
Our multi-site clinical ethics consultation services are frequently asked to participate in these cases and guide clinical teams through this process, which commonly causes staff moral distress. While initially a bit nebulous, the role of ethics in these cases has become clearer over time and with increased clinical experience. There is still much to learn, however, as these cases are complex and require consideration of not just the patient's best interest, but also that of other patients and visitors, the clinical staff, and the organization.
We seek to stimulate dialogue over the role of clinical ethics in issues related to workplace violence and patient and visitor conduct.
Objectives: • Review of the epidemiology of workplace violence and patient and visitor conduct issues in clinical settings. • Present, through illustrative cases, various roles that clinical ethics might serve in such cases and detail the challenges inherent in this endeavor. • Discuss issues related to clinical ethics electronic health record documentation for such cases. • Propose a framework to support clinical ethicists in their deliberative process.
Corinne Benzinger, RN – Program Manager office of Clinical Ethics- Rochester, Mayo Clinic; Lisa Trost, MSW – Program Manager Office of Clinical Ethics-Arizona, Mayo Clinic; Amy Covert, RN, MSN, CNP – Program Manager Office of Clinical Ethics-Rochester, Mayo Clinic