“The effect sizes that were generated by a fairly benign comment were roughly twice the size of structural factors that have been examined in the past as determinants of medical error,” such as chronic sleep loss, Dr. Riskin told Reuters Health in a telephone interview.
“Incivility is rampant in our society and almost all people get exposed to it sometime or the other, and medical teams aren’t well aware of how risky it is to our performance,” Dr. Riskin added. Becoming aware of the damaging effects of rudeness on performance is an important first step toward addressing the issue, he and Dr. Bamberger conclude.
The Israel Science Foundation and the Israel Academy of Science and Humanity partially supported this research. The authors reported no disclosures.
