Civility Project

The Civility Project examines how hospital working environments can be improved. The goal of the project is to identify interventions that promote civility and address inappropriate behaviour in the hospital setting for all staff. 

It is a joint project between RCSI and the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) funded by the HSE National Doctors in Training Programme (NDTP).

Data is collected from the hospital environment, the identities of which will be kept confidential. The findings are then used to inform the development of interventions to form a working model, which will subsequently be disseminated more widely.

Overview

The project has two key work streams:

  • Mixed methods research study – this comprises a range of data-gathering exercises including a survey, focus groups, and one-on-one interviews. The survey looks at all staff in the hospital, focusing on the key issues of civility and bullying, and how the participants feel about their hospital. The research instruments have been developed in consultation with the project's multidisciplinary team to get the deepest understanding of the culture on the sites and how it is experienced by all staff.
  • Develop interventions to promote civility and address any issues arising from the research – The project working group is currently reviewing international best-practice and evidence for interventions to promote civility and address inappropriate behaviour in the workplace. The team plans to implement these interventions and repeat the survey to assess the efficacy of the interventions.

Steering group

The steering group for the project is made up of hospital workforce representatives and subject matter experts. The role of the steering group is to advise on the development of the programme of interventions and to ensure recommendations are practical and implementable. This work is informed by international best practice, academic research and the findings of the project.

  • Dr Linda Daniels, Postdoctoral Researcher, RCPI
  • Dr Lucia Prihodova, Manager, Research Department, RCPI
  • Ciara Greene, Project Manager, RCSI
  • Dr Anthony O’Connor, Clinical Lead and Consultant Gastroenterologist, Tallaght University Hospital
  • Ms Margaret O’Donnell, Clinical Lead and Consultant Plastic Surgeon, Blackrock Clinic
  • Hadas Levy, Health and Wellbeing Lead, RCPI
  • Padraig Kelly, Associate Director, Surgical Affairs Operations and Planning, RCSI

If you have any queries about this project, please contact Ciara Greene.