ArticleBMJ open quality2023
Hospital staff reports of coworker positive and unprofessional behaviours across eight hospitals: who reports what about whom?
Article in BMJ open quality, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Developing a novel typology of unprofessional behaviours between healthcare staff: a best fit framework synthesis.BMC health services research · 2026Pooled it
- Systematically analyzing behavior change techniques used in 44 interventions to reduce unprofessional behavior between healthcare staff.Translational behavioral medicine · 2025Pooled it
- A 360-Degree View of Unprofessional Behaviours Between Nurses and Between Nurses and Medical Colleagues: A Secondary Analysis of a Mixed-Method Evaluation.Journal of nursing management · 2026Article
- Allied health professionals' experiences of co-worker unprofessional behaviour and their reported speaking-up skills: A secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey.Future healthcare journal · 2025Article
- Article
- Evaluation of a culture change program to reduce unprofessional behaviours by hospital co-workers in Australian hospitals.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Co-worker unprofessional behaviour and patient safety risks: an analysis of co-worker reports across eight Australian hospitals.International journal for quality in health care : journal of the International Society for Quality in Health Care · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWorkplace behaviours of healthcare staff impact patient safety, staff well-being and organisational outcomes. A whole-of-hospital culture change programme, Ethos, was implemented by St. Vincent's Health Australia across eight hospitals. Ethos includes a secure online submission system that allows staff across all professional groups to report positive (Feedback for Recognition) and negative (Feedback for Reflection) coworker behaviours. We analysed these submissions to determine patterns and rates of submissions and identify the coworker behaviours reported.
methodAll Ethos submissions between 2017 and 2020 were deidentified and analysed. Submissions include structured data elements (eg, professional role of the reporter and subjects, event and report dates) and a narrative account of the event and coworker behaviours. Descriptive statistics were calculated to assess use and reporting patterns. Coding of the content of submissions was performed to classify types of reported coworker behaviours.
resultsThere were a total of 2504 Ethos submissions, including 1194 (47.7%) Recognition and 1310 (52.3%) Reflection submissions. Use of the submission tool was highest among nurses (20.14 submissions/100 nursing staff) and lowest among non-clinical services staff (5.07/100 non-clinical services staff). Nurses were most frequently the subject of Recognition submissions (7.56/100 nurses) while management and administrative staff were the least (4.25/100 staff). Frequently reported positive coworker behaviours were non-technical skills (79.3%, N=947); values-driven behaviours (72.5%, N=866); and actions that enhanced patient care (51.3%, N=612). Medical staff were the most frequent subjects of Reflection submissions (12.59/100 medical staff), and non-clinical services staff the least (4.53/100 staff). Overall, the most frequently reported unprofessional behaviours were being rude (53.8%, N=705); humiliating or ridiculing others (26%, N=346); and ignoring others' opinions (24.6%, N=322).
conclusionHospital staff across all professional groups used the Ethos messaging system to report both positive and negative coworker behaviours. High rates of Recognition submissions demonstrate a strong desire of staff to reward and encourage positive workplace behaviours, highlighting the importance of culture change programmes which emphasise these behaviours. The unprofessional behaviours identified in submissions are consistent with behaviours previously reported in surveys of hospital staff, suggesting that submissions are a reliable indicator of staff experiences.
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Registered trials
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