Assisting physicians who exhibit disruptive behavior: Understanding the costs, contributors, and corrections

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Physician Well-being
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Disruptive behavior among physicians is a recognized issue impacting healthcare.
• Understanding the multifaceted nature of this behavior is crucial for effective intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the etiology, prevalence, impact, and management strategies for disruptive behavior in physicians.
• To examine these aspects at both individual and system levels.

Main Methods:

• Consensus derived from clinical experience.
• Review of authors' and other researchers' findings.

Main Results:

• Physicians exhibiting disruptive behavior are often experiencing distress.
• Behavior originates from a combination of biopsychosocial contributors, knowledge deficits, insight issues, and systemic factors.
• These contributing factors are interconnected and can interact.

Conclusions:

• A comprehensive management strategy is necessary.
• This includes assessment tools, tailored programming (therapy, coaching, instruction), deliberate practice, medical support, and system interventions.
• Challenges include the variety of behaviors, numerous contributing factors, methodological disagreements, and the system's role.