Trifold Framework in Healthcare:

Primary prevention includes educating and communicating a strong organizational culture that promotes respect and professionalism. Healthcare leaders must develop policies and procedures to safeguard professional practices that do not tolerate workplace violence and incivility. Leaders should provide ongoing staff education, a method for reporting and investigating alleged incidents, and employing consequences for noncompliance to policies(MacLean, Coombs, Breda, 2016). Developing mottos and slogans to reinforce positive professional relationships can serve as an organizational campaign to educate and remind staff to uphold professional standards and reinforce positive workplace norms. Videos demonstrating potential workplace scenarios of workplace misconduct with examples of code words and ways to address such instances can also be a part of educational training. Secondary prevention focuses on reducing harm once an unprofessional incident has occurred. After misconduct is reported, health care leaders should initiate an investigation and enforce proper consequences in order to correct behaviors to prevent further incidents, copycat behavior, or retaliation. Tertiary prevention efforts aim to reduce an escalation of a situation of misconduct in the workplace. Under tertiary prevention, leaders maintain detailed records of misconduct and monitor behaviors in case patterns develop. Leaders also institute performance improvement plans for individuals who have engaged in unprofessional behaviors.

Case Study below:

As previously outlined, TheSouthern Healthcare Hospicefacility has been facing several

challenges following recent demographic shifts. The surrounding area now consists of

predominately low-income, Hispanic, Spanish-speaking residents and experiencing an

increase in the number of patients exhibiting symptoms of dementia. The facility currently

lacks linguistic services and the staff are also not fully trained to handle patients exhibiting

symptoms of dementia. Patients and their families are highly dissatisfied and overall health

outcomes and on-site accidents have been worsening as a result of miscommunication.

Further, the manager, Corinne, has been coming into work very late yet she reprimands other

staff for being tardy. Patients are also complaining about the rudeness of staff, which has not

yet been addressed. The facility is also suffering from high staff turnover and staff

dissatisfaction. Several nurses, administrators, and therapists have quit. The managers and

staff are increasingly overworked as everyone takes on mounting responsibilities as a result

of the high staff turnover. As you read through this chapter, identify the steps the director and

healthcare managers should take in order to improve the facility's organizational culture and

adapt to the external and internal changes?

Using the trifold framework for preventing and addressing workplace misconduct, in the case study outlined at the beginning of the chapter, how should the manager, Corinne, be addressed by the organization's leadership? How can the healthcare organization in the case study presented in this chapter be transformed into one which shares an ethical culture?