Dana Hughes Spalding University

 Civility is defined as “An authentic respect for others requiring time, presence, a willingness to engage in genuine discourse, and an intention to seek common ground” (Clark, 2013).  P. M. Forni (2002) describes civility as a form of goodness that includes a benevolent and thoughtful attitude in regards to other individuals.

 Incivility is described by Merriam-Webster (214) simply as “a rude or discourteous act or behavior.”  The North Carolina Board of Nursing (2011) describes it as “any action that is offensive, intimidating or hostile that interferes with the learning or practice environment.”

 Uncivil behavior is often excused or unrecognized. Most individuals do not see his or her behavior as uncivil.  Examples of uncivil behavior (Harris, 2011)

 The joint commission believes that incivility is a safety issue.  Intimidating and disruptive behaviors contribute to med errors, poor patient satisfaction, adverse outcomes, increased cost of care, and loss of qualified personnel.  Safety and quality of care depend on collaboration of the healthcare team.  Behaviors that threaten performance need to be addressed (The Joint Commission, 2008).

 Joint Commission (2008) has recommended actions to promote civil behavior and handle incivility in the workplace.

 A civility assessment was conducted on my unit using 10 individuals present at a recent staff meeting. The individuals included 2 clinical assistants, 2 unit secretaries and 4 nurses.  The method of education was a handout and discussion of civility.  Each individual agreed to take the Civility Quotient Assessment to rate the organization and his/her self.  The lowest rating for each question was 1 and the highest was 10.

 Lowest possible score – 22  Highest possible score – 220  Some questions were skipped either due to irrelevance or misunderstanding.  Skipped questions - Do you honestly assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of your staff and operation and then act upon those findings?  Do you allow your staff to be vulnerable and human while supporting their growth and development?

 The questions were designed to be a self assessment for each individual.  All individuals rated themselves high on the civility questionnaire, but verbally discussed that they have seen acts of incivility in the workplace.  This questionnaire could have been adapted to assess the workplace civility rather than just individual incivility.

 Civility Quotient Assessment content/uploads/2014/05/Civility-Quotient- Assessment.pdf content/uploads/2014/05/Civility-Quotient- Assessment.pdf

 Clark, C. (2013). Civility Matters. Retrieved from  Forni, P. M. (2002). Choosing Civility. New York: St. Martin’s Press.  Harris, C. T. (2011). Incivility in Nursing. NC Nursing Bulletin. Fall Retrieved fromhttp:// bulletin-offerings-articles/bulletin-article-fall-2011-incivility-in- nursing.pdf  The Joint Commission. (2008). Behaviors that undermine a culture of safety. The Sentinel Event. Issue 40. Retrieved from  Ranson, A. Civility Quotient Assessment. Retrieved from content/uploads/2014/05/Civility-Quotient-Assessment.pdf