Tip of the week: Medical staff leaders should practice interventions

If you have a problematic doctor on staff who requires an intervention, don’t approach him or her without preparing first. Practice with a colleague before approaching the physician in question. Here are some practice tips:

• Begin by referencing your medical staff leadership role
• Identify the problematic behavior or incident
• Refer to previously agreed on expectations or the approved policy
• Invite the physician to provide another side of the story (not appropriate for third or fourth interventions)
• Deflect excuses and justifications
• Constantly refer to data
• Focus on the behavior, not the person
• Clarify the nonretaliation policy
• Be persistent
• Keep the intervention time limited
• Close with the physician’s commitment and next steps
• Inform the physician how the meeting will be documented

This week’s tip is adapted from A Practical Guide to Preventing and Solving Disruptive Physician Behavior by Richard A. Sheff, MD, CMSL, and Todd Sagin, MD, JD.