Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 May-Jun;42(Suppl 1):S50-S52.
doi: 10.1097/BPO.0000000000002063.

Problem Partners: How to Deal With a Colleague Who Causes Problems

James McCarthy  1 , Daniel von Allmen, Nichole Liston
Affiliations

Problem Partners: How to Deal With a Colleague Who Causes Problems

James McCarthy et al. J Pediatr Orthop. 2022 May-Jun.

Abstract

One of the least appealing responsibilities of physician leadership is managing situations in which a physician partner is creating problems. Nevertheless, it is one of the most important aspects in maintaining a healthy team dynamic. When the behavior of problem partners goes unchecked these situations often grow to negatively impact others and detract from providing optimal patient care on multiple levels. Although little guidance has been given on how to handle these challenging situations, many of the principles of dealing with surgical complications are applicable and may be more familiar to surgeons. Similar to complications, preventing problems by carefully recruiting those who work well with the team is optimal. However, if and when disruptive behaviors occur, providing clear communication and setting well defined expectations is critical to the resolution.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. Rosenstein AH, O’Daniel M. Invited article: managing disruptive physician behavior: impact on staff relationships and patient care. Neurology. 2008;70:1564–1570.
    1. Piper LE. Addressing the phenomenon of disruptive physician behavior. Health Care Manag (Frederick). 2003;22:335–339.
    1. Saxton R, Hines T, Enriquez M. The negative impact of nurse-physician disruptive behavior on patient safety: a review of the literature. J Patient Saf. 2009;5:180–183.
    1. Candilis PJ, Kim DT, Sulmasy LS. Physician impairment and rehabilitation: reintegration into medical practice while ensuring patient safety: a position paper from the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2019;170:871–879.
    1. de Leon J, Wise TN, Balone R, et al. Dealing with difficult medical colleagues. Psychother Psychosom. 2018;875:5–11.