Methodology for conflict management in the medical field

What is conflict

Conflict is a communication format whose goal is to resolve an unsatisfactory situation for one or both parties. Conflict arises when opposing interests, views, personal goals collide, or due to strong negative emotions. In other words, conflict is a form of aggression with the aim of protecting one’s interests or restoring justice.

Goals of conflictology

The main goal of conflictology is to teach people to manage conflicts in their personal, professional and social lives to improve the quality of its psycho-emotional component and optimize the use of human resources and the environment.

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Three axioms of conflictology

1. Conflict is a normal social phenomenon.
2. Before entering into a conflict, it is necessary to make a diagnosis (i.e., classify the conflict).
3. If a person enters into conflict, it means that he does not see other ways to solve the situation or does not know other models of behavior.

Conditions for conflict

1. The presence of parties to the conflict;
2. the presence of divergent interests as a prerequisite for a conflict situation;
3. an incident or interaction between parties that marks the beginning of a conflict.
   

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Conflictogens

• Lack of information and attention;
• imposing an inaccessible style of speech on the interlocutor;
• the need for communication or the need to escape communication;
• failure to fulfill promises in a timely manner;
• the result does not meet expectations;
• rudeness, rudeness;
• depreciation;
• ignoring;
• imaginary or real threats to health;
• ignoring social status.

Classification of conflict types

Types of conflicts can be divided into several types.

For reasons:

• goal conflict;
• conflict of views;
• sensory conflict.

By participants:

• intrapersonal;
• interpersonal;
• intragroup;
• intergroup.

By degree of openness:

• open;
• hidden.

According to the consequences:

• constructive;
• destructive (dysfunctional) and its variety – emotional conflict.

Conditional “efficiency” of conflicts

1. Constructive conflict allows a company to develop, build more environmentally friendly and effective relationships, distribute resources, and improve business processes.
2. Rational conflict is essentially negotiation. This is a constructive type of conflict. A rational conflict ends quickly: either with agreements reached, or with negotiations postponed to another day.
3. Emotional conflict is often destructive, but if managed well, it can become a springboard for rational conflict. In a controlled dispute, truth is born.

Classification by commitment to conflicts

People can be roughly divided into:

• conflict-resistant;
• avoiding conflicts;
• conflict.

Motives, causes and true goals of the conflict

The goals of the conflict are the need to satisfy the claims on the subject of the conflict. The subject of the conflict can serve as a “cover” for ignoble motives (for example, a thirst for revenge, a desire to humiliate, harm the opposite party under the guise of the so-called “restoration of justice” - in such cases, there is no rational meaning other than satisfying the emotional needs of one of the conflicting parties).

Motives for conflict (true goals) are internal motivating forces that push people towards conflict (motives appear in the form of needs, interests, goals, ideals, beliefs). There are so-called “pointless” conflicts - as a way of expressing emotions. They are based on distortions and illusions of perception, errors in interpreting the motives of behavior (actions) of other people.

Features of conflicts in the medical field

Conflicts in the medical field have some features:

• the suddenness of the conflict for the clinic staff;
• high emotionality of the party represented by the patient and/or his relatives;
• high significance of the subject of the conflict for the conflicting party;
• inflated expectations and demands from patients;
• the inability to use all possible arguments in a dispute due to ethical and deontological norms and rules;
• the use of social stereotypes and dogmas by the conflicting party as arguments;
• frequent manipulation by patients;
• lack of clear rules in the medical market regulating the rights and responsibilities of the patient;
• inequality of positions in disputes between the doctor (clinic) and the patient;
• initiation of a conflict by a patient in order to receive compensation or return of funds from the clinic (patient extremism).

Necessary conditions for conflict resolution

1. Corporate culture and values (written!).
2. Training staff in conflict-free communication skills.
3. Motivation program for the absence of conflicts.
4. Compliance with the algorithm of care for the patient and accompanying persons.
5. Compliance with the rules of post-clinical service.
6. Providing behavior algorithms in conflict situations.
7. The presence of a room for communication with a conflicting visitor, equipped with a table, an easy chair, a pen, paper, and flavorings.
8. Availability in a visible place of a portrait of an employee and his contacts who is responsible for receiving complaints from clients.
9. Availability of “compensators” (bonuses, gifts, certificates for services).
10. Availability of a document regulating the powers of an employee at each level to resolve a conflict situation.