It’s All Your Fault: High Conflict People Healthcare Conflict Solutions: Managing Hospital Tensions in High-Stress Environments with Dr. Jeff Stuart
Oct 30, 2025
Dr. Jeff Stuart, a physician executive and co-founder of RxSolve Conflict, sheds light on navigating healthcare tensions. He discusses how the pandemic reshaped conflict dynamics, introducing heightened stress and communication challenges. Dr. Stuart elaborates on the primary sources of conflicts, such as competing priorities and poor communication, and emphasizes the importance of training to deescalate such tensions. He also highlights the need for leadership engagement to foster effective conflict management and support healthcare teams during crises.
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Leadership Began Under Fire
- Dr. Jeff Stuart fell into leadership early and became CMO six months before the pandemic, which accelerated his learning under intense pressure.
- He and colleague Dr. Paul Neterson founded RxSolve Conflict after managing conflict during that crisis and seeking better communication tools.
Hospitals As Multiple Battlefields
- Hospitals function like many small battlefields with life-and-death stakes that amplify normal workplace conflict dynamics.
- The pandemic raised fear and anxiety, making conflict more likely but also forcing real-time problem solving and openness to others' input.
Crisis Created Short-Term Collaboration
- During the pandemic people became more willing to listen and resolve issues in real time because they had to move on to the next crisis.
- That urgency improved collaboration briefly but the effect faded as pressures normalized and motivation to problem-solve declined.