Physician professional behaviour affects outcomes: a framework for teaching professionalism during anesthesia residency

Abstract

Purpose: In this review, we examine the association between physician professional behaviour and indicators measuring patient outcomes and satisfaction with care as well the potential for complaints, discipline, and litigation against physicians. We also review issues related to the structured teaching of professionalism to anesthesia residents, including resident evaluation.

Source: A search of the OVID Medline and PubMed databases was carried out using keywords relevant to the topics under consideration. Program directors of Canadian anesthesiology training programs were also surveyed to assess the current state of professionalism training and evaluation in their programs.

Principal findings: Unprofessional behaviour is frequently manifested in practice by medical students, residents, and physicians, and it is associated with personality characteristics that are evident early in training. There is a correlation between unprofessional physician behaviours and patient dissatisfaction, complaints, and lawsuits as well as adverse outcomes of care. Physician health and workplace relationships are negatively impacted by such behaviours. Canadian program directors recognize the need to approach the teaching of professionalism in an organized fashion during physician training.

Conclusions: A framework is provided for defining behavioural expectations, and mechanisms are offered for teaching and evaluating behaviours and responding to individuals with behaviours that persistently breach defined expectations. There is a need to define explicitly not only the expectations for behaviour but also the processes by which the behaviours will be assessed and documented. In addition, emphasis is placed on the nature, order, and magnitude of the responses to behaviours that do not meet expectations.