The Presence of Lateral Violence in the Operating Room Experienced by Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists: An Opportunity for Change

Abstract

Lateral violence (LV) is an unfortunate aspect of any workplace and can be referred to as incivility or bullying. Lateral violence is defined as a repetitive disruptive behavior among peers that is considered offensive, abusive or intimidating by the target. Incivility comes in many forms. It is considered any disruptive behavior between peers that would be identified as workplace incivility or bullying. The prevalence of incivility or bullying between healthcare providers is a rising concern. The stressful nature of surgery demands a calm, LV-free interaction between all parties in the operating room involved in patient care. The purpose of this project was threefold. First, to survey the presence of LV within the operating room among Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) who are active members of the Michigan Association of Nurse Anesthetists (MANA). Next, to educate these CRNAs on the scope and manifestations of LV and provide these learners with tools and coping mechanisms for appropriately dealing with lateral violence via a video platform. Lastly, to have the participants evaluate the effectiveness of the program on LV. The results obtained from this doctoral project met our primary objective of developing and evaluating a professional program that informs and educates CRNAs about lateral violence. All the pre- and post- test comparison items were statistically significant for improvement. Lateral violence education should be incorporated into CRNA workplace.