• E-mail
• Print
• RSS

Physician behavior: praise in public, chastise in private

Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, August 9, 2007

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education!

When expressing appreciation for physicians who have demonstrated behavior you want to encourage, look for public forums, such as 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 bad physician behavior, use the following strategies:

• Send standard letters to the physician(s) 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. It will provide you with an opportunity to briefly educate him or her about the need for the policy of expectations and 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 http://www.hcprofessor.com.

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education!

• E-mail to a Colleague
• Print
• RSS
• Archive