The hard talk: Dealing with the disruptive physician

Abstract

Disruptive physician behavior, defined by the American Medical Association, is ‘personal conduct, verbal, or physical that has the potential to negatively affect patient care or the ability to work with other members of the healthcare team’ (American Medical Association, 2008). This type of behavior can undermine a culture of safety, foster medical errors, contribute to preventable adverse outcomes, increase the cost of care, and cause qualified staff to leave institutions. This review will discuss the scope of the problem, contributing factors, and strategies for prevention and addressing this type of unprofessional behavior.