OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate
the impact of subtle forms of workplace mistreatment
(bullying and incivility) on Canadian nurses’ perceptions
of patient safety risk and, ultimately, nurse-assessed
quality and prevalence of adverse events.
BACKGROUND:Work place mistreatment is known
to have detrimental effects on job performance and in
nursing may threaten patient care quality.
METHODS: A total of 336 nurses from acute care
settings across Ontario responded to a questionnaire
that was mailed to their home address in early 2013,
with a response rate of 52%.
RESULTS: Bullying and incivility fromnurses, physicians,
and supervisors have significant direct and indirect
effects on nurse-assessed adverse events (R2 =
0.03-0.06) and perceptions of patient care quality
(R2 = 0.04-0.07), primarily through perceptions of
increased patient safety risk.
CONCLUSIONS: Bullying and workplace incivility have
unfavorable effects on nurse-assessed patient quality
through their effect on perceptions of patient safety risk.