Effectively engaging physicians in system change

Abstract

What started as a prospective study to support clinical leaders and inform strategies to engage their peers in system change was impacted due to a rapidly evolving political agenda amid a pandemic, affecting both organizations and outcomes. Participants in this mixed methods study in one Local Health Integrated Network (LHIN) in Ontario included clinical leaders and community physicians over a period of 14 months. As the provincial government shifted regional healthcare governance from LHINs to Ontario Health Teams, there was an increase in the engagement of community physicians and leaders identified a noticeable culture shift with the potential to drive change. High-performing healthcare systems are dependent not only on physicians who can lead and engage others but a government that can acknowledge this.