Understanding Doctors' Performance PDF
Preview Understanding Doctors' Performance
Understanding Doctors’ Performance Edited by Jim Cox LeadAssessorandTrainer,GeneralMedicalCouncilperformanceprocedures FormerAssociateDirector(AssessmentDevelopment), NationalClinicalAssessmentAuthority MedicalDirector,CumbriaAmbulanceServiceNHSTrust Jennifer King CharteredPsychologist ManagingDirector,EdgecumbeConsultingGroup Allen Hutchinson HeadofSectionofPublicHealth ScHARR,UniversityofSheffield and Pauline McAvoy AssociateDirector(AssessmentDevelopment), NationalClinicalAssessmentServiceoftheNationalPatientSafetyAgency Boca Raton London New York CRC Press is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business First published 2006 by Radcliffe Publishing Published 2021 by CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300 Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742 © 2006 Jim Cox, Jennifer King, Allen Hutchinson and Pauline McAvoy CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business No claim to original U.S. Government works ISBN-13: 978-1-85775-766-8 (pbk) This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. 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TypesetbyAdvanceTypesettingLtd,Oxford Contents Abouttheeditors iv Listofcontributors v Acknowledgements vi Introduction 1 1 Theimpactofhealthonperformance JohnHarrisonandJohnSterland 4 2 Aperspectiveonstressanddepression JennyFirth-Cozens 22 3 Misuseofdrugsandalcohol HamidGhodseandSusannaGalea 38 4 Cognitiveimpairmentandperformance KirstieGibson,LukeKartsounisandMichaelKopelman 48 5 Arepsychologicalfactorslinkedtoperformance? JennyFirth-CozensandJenniferKing 61 6 Theroleofeducationandtraining ElisabethPaice 78 7 Theimpactofcultureandclimateinhealthcareorganisations MichaelWestandMarionSpendlove 91 8 Theinfluenceofteamworking MichaelWestandCarolBorrill 106 9 Leadershipandthequalityofhealthcare JennyFirth-Cozens 123 10 Workload,sleeplossandshiftwork LawrenceSmith 134 Conclusions 159 Index 167 About the editors DrJimCox LeadAssessorandTrainer,GeneralMedicalCouncilperformanceprocedures FormerAssociateDirector(AssessmentDevelopment), NationalClinicalAssessmentAuthority MedicalDirector,CumbriaAmbulanceServiceNHSTrust DrJenniferKing CharteredPsychologist ManagingDirector,EdgecumbeConsultingGroup ProfessorAllenHutchinson HeadofSectionofPublicHealth ScHARR,UniversityofSheffield ProfessorPaulineMcAvoy AssociateDirector(AssessmentDevelopment), NationalClinicalAssessmentServiceoftheNationalPatientSafetyAgency List of contributors DrCarolBorrill SeniorLecturer UniversityofNottingham ProfessorJennyFirth-Cozens Consultant ClinicalandOccupationalPsychology DrSusannaGalea ClinicalLecturerandSpecialistRegistrarinAddictiveBehaviour StGeorge’sUniversityofLondon ProfessorHamidGhodse ProfessorofPsychiatryandInternationalDrugPolicy Director,InternationalCentreforDrugPolicy StGeorge’sUniversityofLondon DrKirstieGibson SpecialistRegistrarinOccupationalHealth Guy’sandStThomas’sNHSTrust DrJohnHarrison ClinicalDirectorofOccupationalHealth HammersmithHospitalsNHSTrust DrLukeKartsounis ConsultantClinicalNeuropsychologist OldchurchHospital ProfessorMichaelKopelman ConsultantNeuropsychiatrist StThomas’sHospital ProfessorElisabethPaice DeanDirector,LondonDeanery DrLawrenceSmith SchoolofPsychology UniversityofLeeds DrMarionSpendlove ResearchFellow,AstonBusinessSchool DrJohnSterland SpecialistRegistrarinOccupationalMedicine King’sCollegeHospital ProfessorMichaelWest ProfessorofOrganisationalPsychology AstonBusinessSchool Acknowledgements ThisbookarisesfromtheworkofagroupconvenedandsponsoredbytheNational Clinical Assessment Authority (NCAA), now the National Clinical Assessment Service of the National Patient Safety Agency. The NCAA published a synopsis reportUnderstandingPerformanceDifficultiesinDoctorsinNovember2004. The editors particularly thank Dr Rosemary Field, Deputy Director of the NationalClinicalAssessmentService,forhersupport,encouragementandadvice. They are also extremely grateful to Kevin Hunt and Sheila Mariswamy, who managedtheproject. Introduction Like other health professionals, most doctors work hard, strive to achieve high standardsandprovideexcellentservicesfortheirpatients.Buttherearemorethan 100000practisingdoctorsintheUKanditisinevitablethatsomeofthemfailto meetreasonablestandards. Doctors’professionalperformancehasbecomethefocusofunprecedentedpublic scrutiny.Mostpeoplehadassumedthattheirdoctorswerecompetent,butseveral highlypublicisedcasesintheUnitedKingdomshowedhowthattrustcouldsometimes bemisplaced.FailingsofpaediatriccardiacsurgeonsinBristolledtheBritishMedical Journaltoconcludeinaneditorial:‘Allchanged,changedutterly’(Smith,1998). Themedicalprofessionhadbeguntoaddresstheproblemsofpoorperformance of doctors before these events made headline news, but public exposure of poor performancemadeitmoreurgenttofindsolutions. By1995theGeneralMedicalCouncil(GMC),thebodyresponsibleforregulation of the medical profession, had obtained the necessary legislative framework to introduce‘PerformanceProcedures’whichallowthemtoinvestigateand,ifneces- sary,restrictthepracticeofdoctorswhomaybeputtingtheirpatientsorthepublic atrisk.TheGMCdevelopedmethodstoassessbothcompetence(whatthedoctor cando)andperformance(whatthedoctordoesdo)(Southgateetal.,2001)which have been sufficiently robust to withstand legal challenge. GMC performance assessments,quiteproperlysincetheyareintendedtoprotectthepublic,concen- trate on description of the doctor’s clinical performance with reference to current standards. They are not designed to explain why the doctor’s performance is sub- standard.Furthermore,theGMChastendedtoconcentrateitsworkattheextreme endofthespectrumofpoorperformance,withprocedureswhicharemorediscip- linarythandevelopmental. In 2001 the National Clinical Assessment Authority (now part of the National Patient Safety Agency) was created as a special Health Authority of the National HealthService(NHS)toadvisetheNHSaboutthemanagementofpoorperform- ance. Its stated aim was ‘promoting confidence in doctors and dentists’ (NCAA, 2004a).LiketheGMC, itundertakesassessmentsofperformancebut,unlikethe GMC, its assessments are formative, intended to clarify concerns and to make recommendationstothedoctorandtheNHSbodytowhomthedoctorisrespon- sible.Aswellasassessingclinicalperformance,anassessmentincludes,asamatter ofroutine,psychometrictesting,aninterviewwithabehaviouralpsychologistand assessmentbyanoccupationalhealthphysician.Thethrustoftheseassessments– andtheimpetusforthisbook–istotrytoexplainthedoctor’spracticeaswellasto describe it. Understanding more about the possible causes of a doctor’s practice helpstoinformthemostappropriaterecommendationsorremediation. Regulatorsandotherinterestedpartiesinothercountries,particularlyAustralia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA are also working on the same problems. In general,therearethreelevelsofassessment:screeningwholepopulationsofdoctors (level 1), the targeting of ‘at risk’ groups (level 2) and assessing individual prac- titionerswhomaybeperformingpoorly(level3)(FinucanePMetal.,2003).Canadian provinces,forexample,haveanumberofwell-developedlevel1(screening)and 2 Understandingdoctors’performance level 2 (targeted assessment) programmes. Although level 3 performance assess- ments carried out in the UK are widely acknowledged as being the most highly developedintheworld,sofarwehavenowell-developedsystemforlevel1orlevel 2assessmentsintheUK.Theyarelikelytobeintroducedinthenearfutureaspartof the proposals for regular revalidation of doctors. The assessment of the factors describedinthisbookwouldusuallybepartofalevel3assessmentbut,ofcourse, thecausesofpoorperformancearethesamehowevertheyareassessed. One of the most significant changes to affect the medical profession in recent yearsistherecognitionthatbeingagooddoctorisaboutmorethanjusttechnical and clinical competence, skills or knowledge. The dissemination of the GMC docu- mentontheprinciplesofGoodMedicalPractice(GeneralMedicalCouncil,1998) hashighlightedandembeddedtheimportanceofnon-clinicalattributesincluding teamworking,leadership,andcommunication.Thereisincreasingevidencethat complaintsaboutdoctorsrevolvelargelyaroundtheirbehaviour(Sanger,1998). Sowhatarethefactorsthatcauseadoctorwhocanpractisesafelynottodoso? Whydosomedoctorssuccessfullyaddresstheirdifficultieswhileothersfailtodoso? What is the impact of such factors as physical and psychological health, cognitive deterioration,personality,attitudes,values,beliefs,workload,sleeploss,shiftpatterns, organisationalculture,teamwork,leadershipandlifeeventsandsoon? Early experience of including behavioural assessment as part of performance assessmenthasprovidedsomeinsights,ashastheworkofregulatorybodiesinother countries such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand. For example, Canadian experienceindicatesthatcognitiveimpairmentmayaffectuptoathirdofpoorly performingphysiciansassessedinOntario(FergusonB,personalcommunication). Similarly,althoughnumbersaretoosmalltogeneralisewithconfidence,areview ofthefirst50assessmentscarriedoutbytheNationalClinicalAssessmentAuthority revealedthattwodoctors(4%)wereaffectedbycognitiveimpairment. Howwidespreadispoorperformanceamongstdoctors?Theinternationallitera- turehasshownconsistentlyformorethanadecadethatinthehospitalworkforce there are around 6% of doctors with serious performance problems (Donaldson, 1994).Ofthosewhoseperformancehasbeenassessedbyoneofthenationalbodies, onlyasmallminorityaresimplyincompetent. The themes of this book were first presented as a report for the NHS (NCAA, 2004b).Webelievethatthisisthefirsttimeanyonehasattemptedtobringtogether existingknowledgeaboutthefactorsinfluencingadoctor’sperformance.Ouraimis toprovidepractical,evidence-basedguidancetoassistindividuals,employersand regulatory,educationalandprofessionalagenciesthatarefacedwiththechallenge of managing concerns about the performance of doctors. Although the primary focus is on doctors, many of the issues are equally applicable to other health professionals,includingdentists. Ourinitialliteraturesearchrevealedacomplexarrayofissuesthatcanimpacton adoctor’sperformance.Someclearthemesemergedandtheseprovidethebasisfor ourchapterheadings.Somethemes,whilstcruciallyimportant,proveddifficultto coversatisfactorilyinasinglechapter–inparticular,issuesconcerningethnicity, equalityanddiversity.Thesecutacrossmanydifferenttopicareas.Ratherthanrisk oversimplifyingissuesofsuchsensitivityandsignificancewechosetoaddressthem, asappropriate, aspart of anumberof chapters. There isa substantialandbroad- ranginginternationalliteratureontheimpactofethnicityanddiversityonhuman performanceand,toalesserextent,ontheperformanceofhealthcarestaff.Muchof
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