A Professional Development Course Improves Unprofessional Physician Behavior.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Healthcare Management
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Intimidating and disruptive physician behaviors can negatively impact patient care and safety.
• Over 95% of healthcare professionals report encountering unprofessional behaviors regularly.
• The Joint Commission has identified these behaviors as critical to a safe culture.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a professional development program on modifying unprofessional physician behaviors.
• To assess changes in workplace behaviors using a validated tool.

Main Methods:

• A pre-post study design was employed.
• A 35-item, web-based survey (B29™) was used for 360° assessments (peers, colleagues, staff, self-assessment).
• Data was collected from physicians before and after the educational intervention.

Main Results:

• Twenty-four out of 28 physicians showed improvement in professional behavior.
• The mean decrease in lowest-rated items was 51.1% across all participants.
• T-scores improved for 24 physicians over the six-month study period.

Conclusions:

• A brief educational program focused on professionalism can positively modify observed unprofessional physician behaviors.
• Peer and colleague reports indicate significant improvements following the intervention.
• Professional development is a viable strategy for enhancing physician conduct.