A 'civility and respect' policy for surgery.

When an orthopedic surgeon threw a pair of scissors in the OR last summer at North Shore Medical Center’s Salem Hospital, a policy was in place to address the incident. Introducing a “civility and respect” policy was one of the first things Marc Rubin, MD, did when becoming chief of surgery in 2005. The policy was invoked to address the scissors incident. The surgeon was disciplined, and there have been no incidents with this surgeon since, Dr Rubin said. The policy, in streamlined form, has now been adopted by the entire medical center, a trauma facility based in Salem, Mas-sachusetts, with 2 campuses and 23 ORs. “The policy is part of my personal philosophy about what is important in the workplace. Non-negotiable mutual respect is something I think is essential,” Dr Rubin told OR Manager. The policy defines the conduct expected (sidebar) and outlines a 2-level process for addressing disruptive behavior.