Physician engagement in hospitals: a scoping review protocol

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Organizational Psychology
• Medical Education

Background:

• Physician engagement is recognized as vital for successful healthcare reforms, influencing cost reduction, efficiency, quality of care, patient safety, and physician retention.
• Despite its strategic importance, a lack of empirical evidence hinders hospital leadership's ability to link physician work engagement to tangible outcomes.
• This gap necessitates a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing and the methods for measuring physician engagement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review to identify factors associated with physician engagement in hospital settings.
• To identify and categorize the various tools and methodologies used to measure physician engagement.
• To provide evidence-based insights for hospital leadership to enhance physician engagement strategies.

Main Methods:

• A systematic scoping review following the Arksey and O'Malley (2005) framework.
• Comprehensive literature search across electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane) and grey literature sources.
• Inclusion of all quantitative and qualitative study designs examining factors and measurement tools for hospital physician engagement, with dual screening and thematic analysis for findings.

Main Results:

• The review synthesizes evidence on key drivers of physician engagement, offering insights into their impact on healthcare delivery.
• Identifies and evaluates a range of instruments and approaches used for measuring physician engagement.
• Highlights the relationship between specific engagement factors and measurable work outcomes in hospitals.

Conclusions:

• Understanding the factors and measurement tools for physician engagement is essential for effective healthcare reform.
• The findings will inform hospital leadership in developing targeted strategies to improve physician engagement and optimize healthcare outcomes.
• This review supports the Ontario Hospital Association's initiative to enhance physician engagement across Ontario hospitals.