A new survey in the Journal of Hospital Medicine asked 77 hospitalists in Illinois to identify unprofessional behaviors in which they and their peers had engaged.
The respondents said the following were the most common unprofessional behaviors they observed among their peers.
- Ordering a routine test as urgent to expedite care (80.5%)
- Having personal conversations in patient corridors (80%)
- Signing out a patient over the phone when it could have been done in person (66%)
- Making fun of other physicians to colleagues (67.5%)
However, the hospitalists were more forgiving of their own conduct, and the figures were lower when they had to report behaviors in which they had personally engaged; 62%, 67%, 41%, and 40% respectively. Vineet M. Arora, MD, coauthor of the study, told HealthLeaders Media that the results show a correlation between job characteristics (i.e., teaching responsibilities, administrative work, night work) and reports of unprofessionalism. Perhaps facilities that are interested in limiting unprofessional behavior should reconsider their hospitalists work load.
