Leadership For The Multidisciplinary Team, Your Staff And Your Patients

With patient care, there is always a team involved in obtaining a certain outcome. When it comes to the care of high-risk patients, podiatric physicians are leaders of these fragile patient care teams and the consequences from an error in healthcare may be irreversible, costing a patient life or limb. Accordingly, podiatrists must exhibit insightful leadership in regard to facilitating optimal outcomes for their patients.

At the base of the healthcare team is patient-physician interaction. Podiatrists and podiatrists in training potentially treat thousands of patients annually, usually in a variety of settings with variable treatment team members. This requires the ability to be tolerant of and respectful toward not only patients, but every individual who is part of the patient care team. One of the most difficult aspects of practicing medicine is the ability to please everyone. This is an impossible feat but practicing strong leadership skills can foster this.

There are some things to consider and tactics to come closer to achieving this goal. As a general rule, treat patients as you would want a doctor to treat you or a family member. When caring for patients, it is important to show empathy for their concerns without taking on the “weight” of all the patients that you encounter. If physicians become worn out, it is a disservice because they are not operating at maximum capacity and may not be able to treat their patients adequately.

It is important to recognize when risk is outweighing benefit and when it is time to seek help or refer for a second opinion, sometimes for objective reasons, other times for subjective reasons. A good leader is humble and does not allow pride to get in the way of optimal care for the patient.

In addition to interacting with patients on a daily basis, podiatrists are leaders of medical teams. It is important to maintain amicable relationships with all staff members involved in the care of patients because each employee plays an equally important role in patient safety.  

Recently, there has been a push to incorporate high reliability organization safety principles into high-output medical treatment facilities. By using some of the same protocols practiced in such industries as nuclear engineering, aerospace and aviation, healthcare systems are able to decrease adverse events and increase patient safety. For these concepts to work effectively, each person who is involved in patient care must be proficient in his or her job roles, and perform them at the correct time and in the correct manner. If there is a discrepancy in the performance or order of processes, morbidity and mortality increase. Medical facilities that have strong leadership and foster an environment of health and wellness for their patients and staff will be more successful at being deemed as highly reliable.  

Podiatrists serve many different roles, including administrative, academic, clinical, public health and military roles. Regardless of specific job title, the leadership principles remain the same. As healthcare leaders, it is paramount to instill a sense of resiliency in both staff and patients. Patients and staff will be more receptive to a leader who is consistent, predictable and trustworthy. In addition, a leader who gives the staff a sense of control and reinforces the purpose of the overall mission will be much more successful.

Many believe in a trickle-down effect in which if the leadership is strong, the entire organization will be strong. Physicians must be cognizant of their personal leadership styles and should self-evaluate periodically to see what aspects they should improve.

In recent years, there has been a trend away from the traditional authoritarian atmosphere in medicine toward authoritative leadership, in which anyone on the hierarchy of patient care is encouraged to speak up when safety may be jeopardized. As a leader, it is beneficial to encourage this type of environment.

Some believe leaders are born while others believe they can emerge with the right mentoring. If the latter is true, perhaps more instruction should occur early in podiatric medical training. For many, there is a steep learning curve to acquire leadership characteristics once they are in practice as these folks are transitioning from the subservient culture of some residencies. However, continuously striving to refine and build upon one’s leadership acumen can help augment our role within the multidisciplinary team, our professional goals and the outcomes for our patients.

Dr. Ryans is a graduate of the SSM DePaul Residency Program in St. Louis and is now in practice.