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.

Until recently professionalism was transmitted by respected role models, a method that depended heavily on the presence of a homogeneous society sharing values. This is no longer true, and medical schools and postgraduate training programs in the developed world are now actively teaching professionalism to students and trainees. In addition, licensing and certifying bodies are attempting to assess the professionalism of practising physicians on an ongoing basis. This is the only book available to provide guidance to those designing and implementing programs on teaching professionalism. It outlines the cognitive base of professionalism, provides a theoretical basis for teaching the subject, gives general principles for establishing programs at various levels (undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing professional development), and documents the experience of institutions who are leaders in the field. Teaching aids that have been used successfully by contributors are included as an appendix.

"Medical professionalism is more than a demonstration of individual competencies. Becoming a member of the medical profession is not only about passing a set of milestones, but also about embodying the values, behaviors, and identity of a physician through a process of professional identity formation. The major frameworks for medical professionalism, the process of professionalization, and the importance of socialization in medicine are discussed. The reader is encouraged to reflect on who they are and who they want to become. Physicians have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of their patients and embrace life-long learning"--

Understanding Doctors’ Performance addresses possible reasons why doctors under-perform, covering specific areas such as education and training, physical and mental health, workload, personality, organisational culture, drug and alcohol misuse, and cognitive impairment. It draws together evidence and describes the factors (apart from clinical competence) that adversely affect performance and how they can be prevented, identified, assessed and addressed. This practical and easy to read book is invaluable for NHS managers, medical directors, chief executives and board members, along with directors of human resources in healthcare and healthcare professionals interested in the assessment of performance or the management of underperformance.

This book presents ideas and guidance about human development to enhance medical education's ability to form competent and responsible physicians.

A groundbreaking text on how to deliver the highest quality patient care through professionalism in daily medical practice Five Star Doody’s Review: “This is an outstanding book for all clinicians and professors, indeed for everyone in medicine to help mentor and self-police the medical profession.” "Understanding Medical Professionalism is a 'must-have' for all involved in the healing arts. The book demystifies professionalism, bringing it from a philosophical, mystical concept to a practical everyday set of behaviors. The twelve chapters, in a uniform way, provide wonderful, real-life stories that illustrate the challenges faced by practitioners, describe ways to deal with those challenges, and help develop the personal and institutional skills necessary to provide excellent and compassionate care." -- Carlos A. Pellegrini, MD, FACS, FRCSI (Hon.), The Henry N. Harkins Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery, University of Washington "Insightful, practical, and authoritative. Building on their own research and that of others, Levinson et al. offer a comprehensive discussion of medical professionalism from the refreshing perspective of behavioral skills and an enabling healthcare system. Understanding Medical Professionalism has fundamentally reframed the professionalism debate and will likely remain the definitive work in this field for quite some time." -- David G. Nichols, MD, President and CEO, The American Board of Pediatrics "The authors' ambitious goal of providing a framework for the continuum of physician development of professional behaviors, from student through expert senior clinician, has been met. Students will find the text modular and instructive; residents will benefit from the reinforcement of positive professional behaviors and explication of strategies to excel in this competency; educational program directors will find the framework and tools for assessment and strategies for remediation enriching; and the expert professional will find subtle opportunities to grow to mastership of this most important physician competency." -- Thomas J. Nasca, MD, MACP, Chief Executive Officer, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, Professor of Medicine, Jefferson Medical College "The authors offer a framework and an approach to medical professionalism that enable us to understand it, teach it, and incorporate it into our day-to-day lives as health professionals. It is a much needed addition to our armamentarium as we work to align the education of health professionals with the needs and expectations of the society we serve." -- George E. Thibault, MD, President, Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation