Bullying in the Workplace, Gender Inequality: Challenges for the Quality and Safety of Health Care

Dear Colleagues,

In contemporary societies, phenomena such as bullying (often silent and insidious, promoting toxic environments) and gender inequality (often associated with persistent stereotypes) have been increasingly highlighted for the profound implications they can have on the functioning of organizations (by compromising the mental health of employees, as well as organizational effectiveness and efficiency), justifying the need and urgency to think and reflect on these issues.

These factors condition working environments that are intended to be healthy. Healthy environments are fundamental to the success of any organization, as they have a direct influence on productivity, satisfaction and staff retention. In the context of healthcare organizations, this importance is even more pronounced, since a positive working environment has a direct impact on the quality of care provided to patients. Studies show that healthcare professionals who work in positive environments provide safer, higher quality care (with fewer adverse effects, particularly in terms of medication errors, falls and healthcare-associated infections) and are associated with higher levels of patient satisfaction.

With this in mind, we are pleased to invite you to contribute articles to this Special Issue, which aims to address these critically important issues.

The aim of this Special Issue is to explore and analyze the impact of workplace bullying and gender inequality on work environments and the implications they have for promoting healthy environments, which condition the quality and safety of healthcare.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:

• Impact of a positive work environment on the quality of healthcare provided;
• Strategies for preventing and combating workplace bullying in healthcare organizations;
• Analysis of gender inequality and its consequences for professional practice in healthcare;
• Interventions to improve mental health and the well-being of health

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Pedro Bernardes Lucas
Dr. Patricia Costa
Dr. Maria Filomena Mendes Gaspar
Dr. César Fonseca
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• workplace bullying
• work environment
• workplace violence
• bullying
• gender inequality
• gender discrimination
• mental health
• quality of health care
• patient safety
• workplace safety
• health workforce

Title: Negative Behaviors among nurses: a scoping review
Authors: Nuno Novais Martins Santos 1,2,3; Paulo Jorge Marcos Cruchinho 2; Pedro Ricardo Martins Bernardes Lucas 2; Elisabete Maria Garcia Teles Nunes2
Affiliation: 1 Master’s Degree Student in Nursing Management at the Nursing School of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal 2 Nursing Research, Innovation and Development Centre of Lisbon, Nursing School of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal 3 Registered Nurse at Hospital da Luz de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
Abstract: Introduction: Negative behaviors are present across all work sectors; however, healthcare professionals are considered the group at the highest risk of experiencing this phenomenon. These behaviors are regarded as a set of actions that can produce negative outcomes not only for the organization but also for employees and their relationships. Nursing leaders and managers must act in a way that ensures the team recognizes the need for a zero-tolerance approach to negative behaviors. Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to map the scientific evidence on negative behaviors among nurses in healthcare organizations. Methods: This scoping review follows the methodological recommendations of the Joanna Briggs Institute, including all studies that focus on negative behaviors occurring among nurses, regardless of their professional and personal characteristics, in any care delivery context. The selected databases are CINAHL Plus with Full Text (EBSCOhost), MEDLINE with Full Text (EBSCOhost), Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection (EBSCOhost), and SCOPUS. The selection and analysis of articles will be conducted by two independent reviewers. The results will be presented in tables and a descriptive summary. The report will be prepared in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews for Scoping Reviews.