Cyberincivility Experience of Korean Clinical Nurses in the Workplace: A Qualitative Content Analysis

Abstract

Although clinical nurses use online platforms to acquire health-related information and communicate with other healthcare providers, there are increasing reports on their incivility exposure in cyberspace. However, an in-depth understanding of their cyberincivility experience is lacking. This study aimed to identify Korean clinical nurses’ perception and experience of cyberincivility. A qualitative study was conducted. Twenty clinical nurses from seven private and public hospitals in the Seoul metropolitan area were recruited using purposive sampling. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with the nurses from June to September 2019. Conventional content analysis was applied for the interview data analysis. Clinical nurses perceived cyberincivility as disrespectful and condemning behavior as users hide under the shield of anonymity to persecute others without fear of retribution. Four themes regarding participants’ cyberincivility experience emerged: unprofessional behavior, hierarchical communication, lack of respect and morality, and forming an inefficient work environment. The results of this study provide an understanding regarding clinical nurses’ experience of cyberincivility that goes beyond that of previous studies, which mainly focused on students. These results could increase awareness of cyberincivility among clinical nurses, and provide key information for the design of cybercivility educational programs and guidelines to curb cyberincivility, nurture professional online communication, and consequently improve quality of care.

Analysis of Cyberincivility in Posts by Health Professions Students: Descriptive Twitter Data Mining Study

“…In a study by Kitsis et al [ 30 ], medical students and faculty perceived social media content as unprofessional if it contained derogatory remarks toward certain patient groups (ie, Medicaid patients) or negative comments about work stress, colleagues, and patients. Similarly, Kim et al [ 40 ] studied Korean clinical nurses’ experiences of cyberincivility, including a lack of respect and morality within health professions. They suggested that interprofessional or intraprofessional aggression in online spaces could occur when health care professionals lacked an understanding of the roles of workers in other occupations or when users were tired from work and lost control of their emotions [ 40 ].…”

“…Similarly, Kim et al [ 40 ] studied Korean clinical nurses’ experiences of cyberincivility, including a lack of respect and morality within health professions. They suggested that interprofessional or intraprofessional aggression in online spaces could occur when health care professionals lacked an understanding of the roles of workers in other occupations or when users were tired from work and lost control of their emotions [ 40 ]. Researchers have also highlighted that experiences of interprofessional or intraprofessional aggression in cyberspace can increase the workload and stress of health professionals by generating mistrust and reducing teamwork [ 30 , 40 ].…”

“…They suggested that interprofessional or intraprofessional aggression in online spaces could occur when health care professionals lacked an understanding of the roles of workers in other occupations or when users were tired from work and lost control of their emotions [ 40 ]. Researchers have also highlighted that experiences of interprofessional or intraprofessional aggression in cyberspace can increase the workload and stress of health professionals by generating mistrust and reducing teamwork [ 30 , 40 ]. The content of health professions students’ tweets in our study reflects their perceptions, beliefs, and values, and it is possible that their communication with colleagues may indicate a lack of respect and understanding of other occupations.…”