AOA Critical Issues Symposium: The Disruptive Physician: Bad Apple or Toxic Tree?

Abstract

Disruptive physician behavior has become a common problem in medicine. Individuals who conduct themselves in a manner that could negatively affect patient care, or "disruptive physicians," frequently cause stress for patients and staff, are a headache for leadership, and can require expensive remediation. We suggest that rather than "bad apples," many disruptive physicians are the fruit of a "toxic tree." That is, many physicians only become disruptive as a response to their environment. It is important for leaders to accurately identify the root causes of disruptive behavior in order to address the problem. In general, it is important for leaders to act prospectively, to examine events from all perspectives, to promote wellness and communication, and to identify external or systemic causes. We also discuss additional considerations for when the physician who has been labeled "disruptive" is a member of an underrepresented group (in orthopaedic surgery, the underrepresented groups are women and racial minorities). As a conclusion, we offer a case example of how 1 institution established a system of physician wellness to enhance prevention efforts.