ECRI is offering free online access to a new report on managing the disruptive behavior of healthcare practitioners in recognition of National Healthcare Risk Management Week. The report will be posted on ECRI's Patient Safety Center Web page from June 19 to 23, 2006.

Disruptive behavior jeopardizes patient care; it also compromises staff teamwork and erodes morale. This issue has prompted the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations to propose managing disruptive behaviors as a 2007 National Patient Safety Goal. ECRI's Risk Analysis includes tips on reducing the incidence of disruptive behavior within your facility by educating staff, administrators, and medical staff leaders to recognize and address disruptive behavior in a professional and effective manner.

To download a free copy of "Disruptive Practitioner Behavior," visit ecri from June 19 to 23, 2006, and click on "Patient Safety Center." Current members of ECRI's Healthcare Risk Control (HRC) System received this Risk Analysis in their May 2006 mailing; it is also available on the HRC Members' Web site. Before and after National Healthcare Risk Management Week, nonmembers can purchase copies of the Risk Analysis for $75; bulk copies are available at a reduced rate.

This report is just one of the more than 200 Risk Analyses, audit tools, education/training resources, and guidance articles included in ECRI's HRC System, a comprehensive print and Web resource. HRC covers many risk exposures for risk managers and patient safety officers involved in all areas of healthcare, from hospitals and health systems to managed care organizations and integrated delivery systems.

For information on becoming a member of the HRC System, contact Sharon Murphy at (610) 825-6000, ext. 5145; by e-mail at smurphyecri; or by fax at (610) 834-1275. ECRI, an independent, nonprofit health services research and patient safety agency, provides information and technical assistance to the worldwide healthcare community to support safe and cost-effective patient care. It is a Collaborating Center of the World Health Organization and an Evidence-based Practice Center as designated by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare, Research, and Quality.