Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) Practice Test

What behavior in a patient can contribute to conflict within an interdisciplinary team?

1. Isolation

2. Manipulation

3. Splitting

4. Apathy

The correct answer is: Splitting

Splitting is a behavior that can contribute significantly to conflict within an interdisciplinary team. This behavior involves viewing people or situations in black-and-white terms, where individuals may see team members as all good or all bad, without recognizing the complexities in between. In a healthcare setting, a patient demonstrating splitting may create rifts among team members by pitting them against each other or by failing to acknowledge the contributions of each discipline. This can lead to misunderstandings, reduce team cohesion, and ultimately impact patient care. Understanding that splitting can disrupt communication not only clarifies why it presents challenges within the team, but it also highlights the importance of promoting a unified approach to patient care. Teams function best when all members respect and support one another, and splitting can undermine that dynamic by fostering division and conflict among professionals who need to collaborate effectively. In contrast, while other behaviors like isolation, manipulation, and apathy can also affect team dynamics, they do not inherently create the same level of divisiveness or conflict as splitting does.