On Wednesday, the Joint Commission released a new Sentinel Event Alert that focuses on intimidating and disruptive behavior, which the commission says is a problem in many nursing homes and hospitals.

According to the commission, the behavior, which includes “verbal outbursts and physical threats, as well as passive activities such as refusing to perform assigned tasks,” contributes to medical errors and “erodes professional behavior,” producing “an unhealthy or even hostile work environment.”

In its alert, the commission suggests that the field of healthcare has “a history of tolerance and indifference to intimidating and disruptive behaviors,” with both individuals and entire systems contributing to the problem.

The behavior often goes unreported because of the “stigma associated with ‘blowing the whistle’ on a colleague, as well as a general reluctance to confront an intimidator,” the alert said.

The commission’s 11-point plan to eliminate workplace intimidation “will take effect on January 1, 2009, as a rule for all accreditation programs,” McKnights reports. “The Commission is asking facilities to develop a system of reporting bad behavior, educate staff on professional attitudes, implement a method of dealing with unruly physicians and staff, and encourage dialogue between employees.”