What are the advantages and disadvantages of filing such a complaint?
You are in charge of human relations at a large teaching hospital. The head of pharmacy comes to you and describes continuing conflicts with the physician managing residents in anesthesiology. The physician continually badgers your staff with incomplete requests and sketchy notes that he claims are clear prescriptions, as well as demands for immediate handling of routine scripts. He does this while making rounds with residents and is often heard instructing them, “It’s necessary to keep the troops in order and tell ‘em who’s boss.” His residents are starting to follow these instructions to the consternation of your pharmacists; friends in nursing say the same behavior is taking place there. How do you, as a non-physician manager, deal with this growing problem?
1. Would you file a complaint with the dean/physician in charge of the teaching program?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of filing such a complaint?
3. Is there a way to develop a program that would motivate the offending physician to change his behavior without creating an escalating conflict that is not winnable?
4. What part might financial incentives play in creating such motivation?