Conflict Resolution: Healthcare Settings

Conflict Resolution Name Institution Date Conflict Resolution Conflict is a common phenomenon in various work environments, conflict occurs mainly because of the change. When a group of individuals disagrees with ideas, goals, beliefs, perception, opinion or other actions, conflicts arise. Conflict is considered to be healthy depending on how the conflict is managed. When managed well, conflict can generate positive outcomes because it will deepen relationships and promote cohesion among members (Finkelman & Lopez, 2012). Conflict occurs in healthcare settings due to several reasons. Two common causes of conflicts are frustration and lack of satisfaction. A recurring conflict with the potential to negatively impact patient care With the current reforms within the health care systems, health care settings have promoted collaboration among healthcare providers to improve on patients’ health outcomes. Nurses and doctors are required to work in collaboration, especially in decision making related to patient care. More collaborative efforts between nurse and doctors have led to conflicts. With the extended roles of nurses to meet the current health care demands, most physicians are reluctant to role, especially when it comes to making patients’ decisions (Tang et al., 2013). Nurses still face challenges when trying to work independently from physicians. In such cases, conflicts are likely to arise and this is one of the common problems witnessed within the healthcare settings. Conflict normally arises due to knowledge and power disparities. Although nurses have been well trained to use the holistic approach, most physicians still using the case by case approach without considering other important factors that might negatively impact on patient care, these include both cultural and other social influences (Tang et al., 2013). Example of conflict within the healthcare setting Conflict-related to decision making is a common occurrence, one of recent conflict I witnessed was the decision to withdraw life support treatment within the intensive care unit. The decision to withdraw a patient from support treatment by one of the physicians resulted in a conflict between a nurse and the physician because the two had different opinions. Conflicts between physics and nurses have been cited several times on various platforms. Nurses have questioned who has the right to make the final decision on whether to withhold treatment or not. Most healthcare providers prefer continuous treatment as opposed to physicians who view such treatment a waste of resources. I recall one incident at the local hospital that led to such conflict. Having worked at the intensive care unit, I met Thomas, who had stage 4 cancer and had been on treatment for several years without much progress. With time the patient was in constant pain, he was vomiting blood and also lost weight .He spent most of his time in the hospital and he got tired of being readmitted. He finally requested the physician if he could administer euthanasia. Although the physician accepted the patient s' request, he delegated the responsibility to me as the nurse. I felt that this was not ethical; hence I refuse to follow the physician’s directive. Instead, I advised the physician to consult with the family members, especially his wife before making the final decision. In this case, the conflict was about the ethical about delegation. As I nurse, I felt that the best approach was to consult with the family members who had the right be involved in the decision-making process. Although patient autonomy needs to be respected, other ethical consideration needs to be reviewed before making any conclusive decision. As a nurse, I also believe that the patient had several options, including which could prolong his life as compared to euthanasia which to me was not necessary at that point. In addition, most health care settings do not have policies addressing the role of nurses and physicians when it comes to administering euthanasia. I felt that the physician was involved in the patient death and I did not want to be part of it. I felt uncomfortable at the same time annoyed because the physician did not consider my opinion. The case was forwarded to the hospital board who agreed that the patient's family had the right to be consulted. After several meetings with Thomas family, they finally agreed that he was to be transferred to the palliative care center. The management agreed to transfer the patient to the nearby hospice center where he only stayed for three weeks, and he died one day after I had visited him. Type of conflicts In such cases, the conflict can be termed as interpersonal because it involved the physician and the nurse. Interpersonal conflicts occur when two or a group of individuals fail to agree on the best...