Scope of the Problem

Abstract

It has been suggested that the medical field has made significant strides with regard to high-profile areas of provider impairment with obvious external manifestations, such as substance abuse, mental illness, and drug and/or alcohol dependence. However, dealing with disruptive behavior in the health-care arena, which is more nuanced, has posed a significant challenge beyond just discovery. In a broad-brush description, Veltman [1] called disruptive practitioner behavior “contentious, threatening, unreachable, insulting and frequently litigious” and stated that these providers “will not play by the rules” and do not “have the ability to relate or work well with others” [1]. However, this analysis may be too simplistic, as coworker interaction and certainly other providers often are major drivers as well. Thus, it has matured far past the physician-centered, single-focus template.