Medical leadership competencies for physicians: a systematic scoping review

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Physician Leadership Development
• Competency Modeling

Background:

• Medical leadership is a critical healthcare issue, driving physician competency model development globally.
• Numerous countries are implementing measures to enhance leadership skills among physicians.
• Existing literature on medical leadership competency models requires systematic mapping.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically map and review existing literature on generalized medical leadership competency models.
• To identify context-specific leadership competencies for physicians worldwide.
• To provide a comprehensive framework for future research in physician leadership.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews.
• Conducted a comprehensive literature search across academic databases and grey literature.
• Systematically analyzed and synthesized findings from identified studies.

Main Results:

• Identified 16 generalized medical leadership models and 13 context-specific competency studies.
• Most generalized models originate from North America and Europe, while context-specific studies show global distribution.
• Key influential models identified from the UK, USA, Canada, and Switzerland.

Conclusions:

• Emphasizes the importance of contextual and cultural factors in developing and implementing medical leadership competencies.
• Highlights a three-decade shift towards collective, team-based, patient-centered leadership in healthcare.
• Identifies a growing need for physician competencies in cultural sensitivity, crisis management, business acumen, and digital literacy.