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Train your staff in conflict resolution

Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, November 23, 2003

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An effective strategy for teaching conflict resolution to your health care staff is a simple link between their clinical experiences and the guidelines for dispute resolution, according to an article published on Mediate.com, a conflict resolution-focused web site. During a facilitated session, use an analogy to point out the similarities between a clinical process and steps toward working out conflicts. Health care workers are skilled problem solvers. They're trained to care for patients by analyzing a problem, developing a strategy, locating resources and implementing a plan of action. These skills are easily applicable to conflict resolution. In your next training session, identify the following steps associated with patient care:

• Assessment
• Diagnosis of disease/illness
• Creation of treatment plan
• Evaluation/Reassessment of plan

Health care workers are more likely to identify these steps when given a clinical scenario than if you present a conflict situation. For instance, in a dispute over visiting hours on the unit, clinicians might jump to diagnosis (inconsistent enforcement) or treatment (stricter policy) instead of assessing what causes the inconsistent practice. Try analogizing the conflict to that of treating a patient without taking vital signs or reviewing his or her lab work. This technique helps staff understand the significance of assessing the needs and interests involved during a dispute. To read more on conflict resolution, go to: http://www.mediate.com/articles/gerardi4.cfm#.

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