Thaindian News

London, July 07 (ANI): Rudeness at workplace leads to mistakes, according to a new study.

Rhona Flin, Professor of Applied Psychology at the University of Aberdeen, says that if someone is rude to you at work or if you witness rudeness you are more likely to make mistakes.

Flin thinks that the link between rudeness and mistakes is particularly concerning in healthcare settings, where it can pose a threat to patient safety and quality of care.

Researchers say that in confined areas like operation theatres, even watching rudeness that takes place between colleagues may impair team members’ thinking skills.

“In surgical environments, all staff requires high levels of attention and memory for task execution. If incivility does occur in operating theatres and affects workers’ ability to perform tasks, the risks for surgical patients - whose treatment depends on particularly high levels of mental concentration and flawless task execution - could increase,” Flin said.

Flin said that rudeness at work is not uncommon.

Of the 391 National Health Service operating theatres staff surveyed, 66 percent said they had ‘received aggressive behaviour’ from nurses while 53 percent of them said they had received their dose of rudeness from surgeons during the previous six months.

While 63 percent of the staff reported disagreements between surgeons and theatre nurses, disagreements between theatre nurses and ward nurses were reported by 58 percent.

“People concerned with patient safety should note that civility between workers may have more benefits than just a harmonious atmosphere,” Flin said.

The study has been published in The British Medical Journal. (ANI)