Measuring medical professionalism

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. Doody Review Services Reviewer: Lori Boyd, BA, MA, MRT(R)(The Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences) Description: This book provides an in-depth understanding of the challenges of assessing professionalism in medical education. It begins by investigating the concept of professionalism as presented through the academic literature. Acknowledging professionalism is a multidimensional concept, each aspect is considered separately and the best methodology to assess each component thoroughly discussed. Purpose: The purpose is to provide an overview of the theory supporting various assessment methods of professionalism in medical education and to discuss the implementation in educational practice. Assessing professionalism has posed problems for educators for decades. This practical book written by experts in the field is an extremely important contribution to the discipline of health and medical education. David Thomas Stern has compiled an excellent and useful collection of articles addressing this topic. Audience: This book is written primarily for medical educators. However, much of the information is useful for anyone involved in the education of health practitioners such as nursing or allied health. The editor has drawn from authorities in a variety of disciplines to put together a well-rounded perspective on the topic of professionalism. Features: A variety of topics related to professionalism are covered. The book begins by considering definitions and rationale for needing valid assessment tools. Next, it considers assessment methods used for specific components such as communication, moral reasoning, empathy and teamwork. Different assessment methods such as OSCEs, peer review, reflection, and portfolios are considered individually. Admission processes and accreditation requirements are also touched upon later in the book. This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the subject and provides much insight for educators struggling with evaluation of performance in this area. Assessment: 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. Content: A framework for measuring professionalism / David Thomas Stern -- What is medical professionalism? / Louise Arnold and David Thomas Stern -- Ethics, law, and professionalism / Audiey Kao -- Using standardized clinical encounters to assess physician communication / Debra Klamen and Reed Williams -- The assessment of moral reasoning and professionalism in medical education and practice / Dewitt C. Baldwin, Jr. and Donnie J. Self -- Using surveys to assess professionalism in individuals and institutions / Dewitt C. Baldwin, Jr. and Steven R. Daugherty -- Measuring specific elements of professionalism / Jon Veloski and Mohammadreza Hojat -- Faculty observations of student professional behavior / John Norcini -- Using critical incident reports and longitudinal observations to assess professionalism / Maxine Papadakis and Helen Loeser -- Content and context of peer assessment / Louise Arnold and David Thomas Stern -- Using reflection and rhetoric to understand professional behaviors / Shiphra Ginsburg and Lorelei Lingard -- The use of portfolios to assess professionalism / Kelly Fryer-Edwards, Linda E. Pinsky, and Lynne Robins -- Admission to medical school: selecting applicants with the potential for professionalism / Norma E. Wagoner -- Assessing professionalism for accreditation / Dierdre C. Lynch, David C. Leach, and Patricia M. Surdyk -- Measuring professionalism / Fred Hafferty A framework for measuring professionalism / David Thomas Stern What is medical professionalism? / Louise Arnold and David T. Stern Ethics, law, and professionalism / Audiey Kao Using standardized clinical encounters to assess physician communication / Debra Klamen and Reed Williams The assessment of moral reasoning and professionalism in medical education and practice / Dewitt C. Baldwin, Jr. and Donnie J. Self Using surveys to assess professionalism in individuals and institutions / Dewitt C. Baldwin, Jr. and Steven R. Daugherty Measuring specific elements of professionalism / Jon Veloski and Mohmmmedreza Hojat Faculty observations of student professional behavior / John Norcini Using critical incident reports and longitudinal observations to assess professionalism / Jordan Cohen, Maxine Papadakis, and Helen Loeser Content and context of peer assessment / Louise Arnold and David Stern Using reflection and rhetoric to understand professional behaviors / Shiphra Ginsburg and Lorelei Lingard The use of portfolio assessment in professionalism / Kelly Fryer-Edwards, Linda E. Pinsky, and Lynne Robins Admission to medical school: selecting applicants with the potential for professionalism / Norma E. Wagoner Assessing professionalism for accreditation / Dierdre C. Lynch, David C. Leach, and Patricia M. Surdyk Measuring professionalism / Fred Hafferty.