In an effort to counter the negative effects of “intimidating and disruptive behaviors,” the Joint Commission has issued a Sentinel Alert indicating that new accreditation standards will become effective beginning in January of 2009.The Commission is reacting to research that indicates that such behaviors are not at all isolated and have been tolerated to the point where they are causing serious problems within the healthcare industry.

While the new standards are designed to address patient safety and cost issues, the statement that I find most intriguing is that these  behaviors “cause qualified clinicians, administrators and managers to seek new positions in more professional environments.”

It has been obvious to those in the trenches that  rude, obnoxious, arrogant and downright abusive behavior has contributed heavily to the exodus of great nurses from the profession. In theory, at least, physicians that terrorize and try to intimidate subordinates and supervisors that use threats to gain leverage over staff members will no longer be tolerated. Now the Joint Commission will require education of staff and establishing formal mechanisms to report and address negative behavior.

Now let’s see if it makes a difference.