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Physician behavior: praise in public, chastise in private

Hospitalist Leadership Connection, August 22, 2007

When expressing appreciation for physicians who have demonstrated behavior you want to encourage, look for public forums (e.g., general medical staff meetings, committee and department meetings, or even the operating room lounge or a nursing station). Such a public display enhances patient satisfaction and strengthens teamwork with other providers. You also can give positive feedback to physicians in writing.

In the case of individual incidents of disruptive physician behavior, use the following strategies:

• Send standard letters to the physician involved. Make sure the physician receives feedback as quickly as possible following an incident of disruptive behavior.
• Set up a private interview with the physician to provide the physician manager and/or administration with an opportunity to briefly educate the physician under scrutiny about the organization's behavior policy. The meeting also serves to make it clear that behavior that might have been tolerated in the past will no longer be tolerated.

Editor's note: The above excerpt is from the online course "Disruptive Physician Behavior: Techniques for Managing and Preventing." For more information on this and other courses in our library, go to www.hcprofessor.com.

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