Synopsis

Conflict is virtually inevitable in healthcare. Providers with widely diverse training and perspectives must collaborate interdependently to care for children and their families whose needs‚ beliefs and goals can likewise vary widely. Conflict can lead to adverse outcomes‚ patient dissatisfaction‚ and provider burnout. Whether as momentous as disputes over end-of-life, or as mundane as allocation of work responsibilities, conflicts often worsen over time as communication breaks down and people become entrenched in their positions. This Grand Round will discuss the importance of conflict resolution and introduce a “toolkit” of practical conflict resolution skills and strategies.

Speaker

Dr Haavi Morreim, JD, PhD, is Professor, College of Medicine, University of Tennessee & Principal, Center for Conflict Resolution in Healthcare. Dr Morreim brings a distinctive perspective to conflict resolution in healthcare. Although she is a medical school professor focusing on health law and bioethics, she is not ensconced in an office and her work is not the traditional courses-in-classrooms. Rather, Dr Morreim is embedded in the clinical setting, based in the regular rounds and conferences during which faculty and physicians-in-training discuss patients, make medical decisions, and explore the broader issues.