Unmanaged Conflict In Nursing

Conflict Management

Ayva Rodriguez

Felician College

Conflict Management

Conflict in the healthcare environment can be between the nurses, other healthcare providers and even to the patients and/or their families (Brinkert, 2010, p. 146). Unmanaged conflict can be costly not only for the nurses but also to the patient and the institution (Brinkert, 2010, p. 149). And poor communication between staff members and other clinicians can lead to conflict and often viewed as destructive, but with the conflict management, it can also help address underlying issues and concerns, clarify individuals’ goal and might overcome resentment and leads to mutual understanding (Brinkert, 2010, p. 146).

The sources of conflict among nurses can be

149). Direct cost of conflict can be from litigation, less productivity, fast turnover of employee, disability and compensation claims, fines, loss of contracts, higher care expenditures for the adverse patient outcomes and intentional damage to property (Brinkert, 2010, p. 149). And the indirect cost of conflict can be the damage of the team’s confidence, project opportunities lost, damaged reputation, costs to patients, higher incidence of disruptive behavior by organizational insiders and emotional costs (Brinkert, 2010, p.

And make sure that the nurses will not hesitate to speak out whenever difficulties arise and notify the nurse manager for any problems, so conflict resolution will be addressed timely and also involve them in decision making. References

Brinkert, R. (2010). A literature review of conflict communication causes, costs, benefits and interventions in nursing. Journal of Nursing Management, 18(2), 145-156. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2834.2010.01061.x

Finkelman, A. (2012). Leadership and management for nurses core competencies for quality care (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersy: PEARSON.

Timmins, F. (2011, June). Managers’ duty to maintain good workplace communications skills. Nursing Management, 18(3), 30-34. Retrieved from