Abstract
Medical leadership is increasingly considered as crucial for improving the quality of care and the sustainability of healthcare. However, conceptual clarity is lacking in the literature and in practice. Therefore, a systematic review of the scientific literature was conducted to reveal the different conceptualizations of medical leadership in terms of definitions, roles and activities, and personal–and context-specific features. Eight databases were systematically searched for eligible studies, including empirical studies published in peer-reviewed journals that included physicians carrying out a manager or leadership role in a hospital setting. Finally, 34 articles were included and their findings were synthesized and analyzed narratively. Medical leadership is conceptualized in literature either as physicians with formal managerial roles or physicians who act as informal ‘leaders’ in daily practices. In both forms, medical leaders must carry out general management and leadership activities and acts to balance between management and medicine, because these physicians must accomplish both organizational and medical staff objectives. To perform effectively, credibility among medical peers appeared to be the most important factor, followed by a scattered list of fields of knowledge, skills and attitudes. Competing logics, role ambiguity and a lack of time and support were perceived as barriers. However, the extent to which physicians must master all elicited features, remains ambiguous. Furthermore, the extent to which medical leadership entails a shift or a reallocation of tasks that are at the core of medical professional work remains unclear. Future studies should implement stronger research designs in which more theory is used to study the effect of medical leadership on professional work, medical staff governance, and subsequently, the quality and efficiency of care.
Highlights
Medical leadership in hospitals has received increasing attention from both scholars and practitioners
We aim to provide an overview of the scientific literature regarding the definitions of medical leadership, the activities and roles performed by a medical leader, the required knowledge and skills, and the influential factors
We presented a systematic overview of the literature on medical leadership in hospital settings to improve the empirical knowledge and conceptualization of the subject
Summary
Medical leadership in hospitals has received increasing attention from both scholars and practitioners. One stream of scientists conceptualizes medical leadership as formal management roles played by physicians These authors refer to the administrative roles of physicians [6, 8, 9, 10] by using the term medical leadership interchangeably with the term medical management. This conceptualization stems from the historical introduction of a medical manager to hospitals in many countries (USA [11], UK [12], Australia [13], and the Netherlands [6]) as a response to difficulties in hospital governance to ‘control’ and ‘manage’ medical professionals [14, 15]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
