Measuring Medical Professionalism

David Thomas Stern

Patients who are confident of physicians' intellectual and technical abilities are sometimes not convinced of their professional behavior. Systemic and anecdotal cases of physician misconduct, conflict of interest, and self-interest abound. Many have even come to mistrust physicians as patient advocates. How can patients trust the intellectual and technical aspects of medical care, but not the professional? In order to enhance and promote professionalism in medicine, one should expect it, encourage it, and evaluate it. By measuring their own professional behavior, physicians can provide the kind of transparency with which they can regain the trust of patients and society.
Not only patients, but also institutions which accredit organizations have demanded accountability of physicians in their professional behavior. While there has been much lament and a few strong proposals for improving professionalism, no single reliable and valid measure of the success of these proposals exists. This book is a theory-to-practice text focused on ways to evaluate professional behavior written by leaders in the field of medical education and assessment.

Measuring Medical Professionalism

David Thomas Stern

Description

Patients who are confident of physicians' intellectual and technical abilities are sometimes not convinced of their professional behavior. Systemic and anecdotal cases of physician misconduct, conflict of interest, and self-interest abound. Many have even come to mistrust physicians as patient advocates. How can patients trust the intellectual and technical aspects of medical care, but not the professional? In order to enhance and promote professionalism in medicine, one should expect it, encourage it, and evaluate it. By measuring their own professional behavior, physicians can provide the kind of transparency with which they can regain the trust of patients and society.
Not only patients, but also institutions which accredit organizations have demanded accountability of physicians in their professional behavior. While there has been much lament and a few strong proposals for improving professionalism, no single reliable and valid measure of the success of these proposals exists. This book is a theory-to-practice text focused on ways to evaluate professional behavior written by leaders in the field of medical education and assessment.

Measuring Medical Professionalism

David Thomas Stern

Preface Jordan Cohen, MD
Chapter 1. A Framework for Measuring Professionalism, David Thomas Stern, MD, PhD
Chapter 2. What is Medical Professionalism?, Louise Arnold, Ph.D. and David T. Stern, MD
Chapter 3. Ethics, Law, and Professionalism: What physicians need to know, Audiey Kao, MD
Chapter 4. Using Standardized Clinical Encounters to Assess Physician Communication, Debra Klamen, M.D., and Reed Williams, Ph.D.
Chapter 5. The Assessment of Moral Reasoning and Professionalism in Medical Education and Practice, DeWitt C. Baldwin, Jr. MD and Donnie J. Self, PhD
Chapter 6. Using Surveys To Assess Professionalism In Individuals And Institutions, DeWitt C. Baldwin, Jr., M.D. and Steven R. Daugherty, M.D.
Chapter 7. Measuring Specific Elements of Professionalism: Empathy, Teamwork and Lifelong Learning, Jon Veloski, M.S. and Mohmmmedreza Hojat, Ph.D.
Chapter 8. John Norcini, Ph.D.
Chapter 9. Maxine Papadakis, M.D. and Helen Loeser, M.D.
Chapter 10. Louise Arnold, Ph.D. and David Stern, M.D.
Chapter 11. Using Reflection and Rhetoric to Understand Professional Behaviors, Shiphra Ginsburg, M.D. and Lorelei Lingard, Ph.D.
Chapter 12. The use of portfolio assessment in professionalism, Kelly Fryer-Edwards, PhD, Linda E. Pinsky, MD, Lynne Robins, PhD
Chapter 13. Admission to Medical School - Selecting Applicants with the Potential for Professionalism, Norma E. Wagoner, Ph.D.
Chapter 14. Dierdre C. Lynch, Ph.D., David C. Leach, M.D., and Patricia M. Surdyk, Ph.D.
Chapter 15. Measuring Professionalism: A Commentary, Fred Hafferty, Ph.D

Measuring Medical Professionalism

David Thomas Stern

Author Information

Contributors:

Louise Arnold, Associate Dean and Professor, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Kansas City, USA; DeWitt C. Baldwin Jr., Scholar-in-Residence, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education; Jordan J. Cohen, President, Association of American Medical Colleges; Steven R. Daugherty, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Rush Medical College, USA; Kelly Fryer-Edwards, Assistant Professor, Department of Medical History and Ethics, University of Washington School of Medicine, USA; Shiphra Ginsburg, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Canada; Fred Hafferty, Professor, Department of Behavioral Studies, University of Minnesota Medical School, USA; Mohammadreza Hojat, Research Professor, Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Center for Research in Medical Education and Health Care; Audiey Kao, Vice President, Ethics Standards, American Medical Association; Debra Klamen, Department of Medical Education, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, USA; David C. Leach, Executive Director, ACGME; Lorelei Lingard, University of Toronto, Canada; Helen Loeser, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA; Deirdre C. Lynch, Research Department, ACGME; John J. Norcini, President and CEO, FAIMER, USA; Maxine A. Papdakis, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA; Linda E. Pinsky, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, USA; Lynne Robins, Department of Medical Education and Biomedical Infomatics, University of Washington School of Medicine, USA; Donnie J. Self, Texas A and M College of Medicine, USA; David Thomas Stern, University of Michigan Medical School, USA; Patricia M. Surdyk, Executive Director, ACGME; Jon Veloski, Center for Research in Medical Education and Health Care; Reed Williams, Department of Surgery, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, USA; Norma Elizabeth Wagoner, University of Chicago, USA

Measuring Medical Professionalism

David Thomas Stern

Reviews and Awards

"The excellent introduction by the editor, David Stern, provides a working framework. The main body of the book comprises chapters, all by US authors, which together represent an authoritative overview of the current state of the art and, incidentally, show just how seriously the Americans are taking the conceptual and methodological challenges."--ritish Medical Journal

"This book on the multifaceted problem of measuring medical professionalism is interesting and valuable. It has something for any reader seeking to understand whether, why, or how professionalism in medicine might be evaluated."--New England Journal of Medicine

"This is an essential read for any health educator. It is a well-balanced perspective with excellent consideration of the benefits and drawbacks of a variety of methods currently used to evaluate professionalism in medical and health education. Educators recognize that this is one of the most challenging areas to develop and assess with our students. Yet we intuitively know that professionalism is also one of the most important qualities needed for optimal patient care and safety."--Doody's