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When consultants write orders: physicians' attitudes, beliefs, and practices
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, USA.
General Hospital Psychiatry
|November 26, 1999
Summary
Physician consultants often write orders without explicit permission, impacting patient care. Many are unaware of hospital policies on consultant order writing, revealing significant practice variations and policy gaps.
Area of Science:
- Medical Practice
- Healthcare Policy
- Patient Care Quality
Background:
- Consultation processes significantly influence patient care outcomes.
- Consultant order writing without explicit requester permission is a common practice.
- Understanding physician practices and beliefs regarding consultations is crucial for improving care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate physician attitudes, beliefs, and practices concerning inpatient consultations.
- To assess awareness of policies related to consultant order writing.
- To identify inter-specialty differences in consultation practices and their perceived impact.
Main Methods:
- Survey of 211 multispecialty physicians at a large, urban, Northeastern teaching hospital.
- Data collection on attitudes, beliefs, and practices regarding consultant order writing.
- Analysis of differences in perception, practice, and documentation across specialties.
Main Results:
- Majority of physicians unaware of departmental/hospital policies on consultant order writing.
- Significant inter-specialty variations in perceived impact of consultant order writing on patient outcomes.
- Differences noted in pre-order discussion practices and documentation among specialties.
Conclusions:
- Lack of policy awareness suggests a need for clearer guidelines on consultant order writing.
- Variations in practice highlight potential risks and ethical considerations in patient care.
- Addressing these findings is essential for establishing best practices in medical consultations.