1 2 3 a a a b b b You are the manager of the nursing unit at a large hospital. A situation recently occurred in which a nurse’s communications regarding a particular patient’s case were seen as biased by others. Now you have to decide how to address these issues. c c c d d d

ISSUE 1: Radiology Department 2 3 ISSUE 1: Radiology Department The director of the department calls and tells you that when the nurse called to request films, she stated that she was bringing up a “drunk guy” who “was probably fine” and that his mistress and wife would accompany them. Your choices: Do nothing. Apologize to the radiology supervisor and tell him the nurse was having a rough day. Talk to the nurse about the way she conveyed the information. Put the nurse on probation (write her up, some sort of disciplinary action) a a a b b b c c c d d d

1 2 3 a a a b b b c c c d d d FEEDBACK FOR OPTION A: Doing nothing indicates that you don’t think there’s a problem. The patient may have been intoxicated, but the way the nurse conveyed the information wasn’t appropriate. Also, it wasn’t necessary for her to mention the mistress and wife, and she seemed to be suggesting that the patient didn’t need xrays. As her supervisor, you must take action so the nurse doesn’t make these errors in the future. a a a b b b c c c d d d

1 2 3 a a a b b b c c c d d d FEEDBACK FOR OPTION B: Apologizing to the radiology supervisor for the nurse’s behavior is a good start, but excusing her by saying she had a bad day won’t help prevent future biased communication. As the supervisor, you should respond to the radiology department’s concerns by thanking the supervisor for contacting you and letting him know that you will take care of the nurse. c c c d d d

1 2 3 a a a b b b FEEDBACK FOR OPTION C: Talking to the nurse is the best option. You want to help her recognize the biases in her message, and explain the type of information she should convey to other departments when dealing with them. The information should be objective, and relate only to the patient’s medical condition and care. c c c d d d

1 2 3 a a a b b b c c c d d d FEEDBACK FOR OPTION D: If the nurse has had many issues with discipline, insubordination, or other work-related problems, it may be appropriate to write her up, but in general, this situation isn’t serious enough to warrant this reaction. Instead of helping the nurse learn from her mistakes, this may only make her angry at you and the radiology supervisor, and possibly even more likely to repeat this behavior in the future. a a a b b b c c c d d d

1 2 3 a a a b b b c c c d d d ISSUE 2: Nursing Staff You overhear the nurse’s coworkers in the break room discussing the patient. One person says “She told me the wife and mistress were having a catfight over the guy while he was lying on the stretcher!” Another says, “Well, she said the guy wasn’t really even injured but the girl in the car he hit was really hurt. Serves him right!” What do you do? Just walk into the break room and the nurses should stop gossiping. Say nothing to the coworkers, but reprimand the nurse. Reprimand the coworkers, and say nothing to the nurse. Hold a meeting with your department to discuss privacy, confidentiality, and bias. a a a b b b c c c d d d

Explain the consequences of the option 2a 1 2 3 Explain the consequences of the option 2a a a a b b b c c c d d d

Explain the consequences of the option 2b 1 2 3 a a a b b b Explain the consequences of the option 2b c c c d d d

Explain the consequences of the option 2c 1 2 3 a a a b b b Explain the consequences of the option 2c c c c d d d

Explain the consequences of the option 2d 1 2 3 Explain the consequences of the option 2d a a a b b b c c c d d d

Explain the consequences of Subscenario 3 1 2 3 Explain the consequences of Subscenario 3 Present 4 choices a a a b b b c c c d d d

Explain the consequences of the option 3a 1 2 3 Explain the consequences of the option 3a a a a b b b c c c d d d

Explain the consequences of the option 3b 1 2 3 a a a b b b Explain the consequences of the option 3b c c c d d d

Explain the consequences of the option 3c 1 2 3 a a a b b b Explain the consequences of the option 3c c c c d d d

Explain the consequences of the option 3d 1 2 3 Explain the consequences of the option 3d a a a b b b c c c d d d