“At a critical point in a complex abdominal operation, a surgeon was handed a device that didn't work because it had been loaded incorrectly by a surgical technician. Furious that she couldn't use it, the surgeon slammed it down, accidentally breaking the technician's finger. "I felt pushed beyond my limits," recalled the surgeon, who was suspended for two weeks and told to attend an anger management course for doctors.”Administrators have often had to apologize for bad behavior in physicians - especially surgeons - to both staff and patients:
“For generations, bad behavior by doctors has been explained away as an inevitable product of stress or tacitly accepted by administrators reluctant to take action and risk alienating the medical staff, particularly if the offending doctors generate a lot of revenue.”Physicians understood that they were in charge; they made the money and if they wanted to behave badly, then they could do so without fear of retribution.
In 2009, the Joint Commission (the body that accredits hospitals) released new guidelines for addressing disruptive and inappropriate behaviors by medical staff. The Commission recommends that hospitals develop a zero tolerance for intimidating and/or disruptive behaviors.
Medicine has changed, making such behavior not only unacceptable but reckless. Medicine is a team effort, mandated by government and a natural occurrence that comes with technology and specialization in the medical field. If a person has a chronic condition, it is not uncommon to have several physicians involved in the care and treatment of the patient. As more physicians become involved, then more staff, more facilities and more administrators are also involved. And, of course, more potential for personality conflicts.
Quality initiatives are also becoming more important, as hospitals and other care venues are now required to submit quality outcomes to the federal government not only for the purpose of monitoring care but also designating payments. When a physician mistreats a staff member, that staff member has a recourse through labor law which dictates that employees must work in an environment free from hostility or harassment, which could interfere with their job duties and thus patient outcomes.
Fortunately the days of administrators mollycoddling physicians and telling staff that had been verbally harassed “that is how (s)he is, ignore it and go back to work” are ending. Once payments are based on quality, these physicians will have to change or risk losing money.
Posts
