Disruptive Doctors or Abusive Administrators?

OBAOn Tuesday, June 17, 2008, Omar Ha-Redeye attended the Ontario Bar Association (OBA) Health Law Section‘s year-end dinner.

The event featured a debate over the Ontario Hospital Association and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario’s report released in April, 2008, Guidebook for Managing Disruptive Physician Behaviour.

The report states,

Disruptive behaviour is demonstrated when inappropriate conduct, whether in words or action, interferes with, or has the potential to interfere with, quality health care delivery. Disruptive behaviour may, in rare circumstances, be demonstrated in a single egregious act (for example, a physical assault of a co-worker)1 but is more often composed of a pattern of behaviour. The gravity of disruptive behaviour depends on the nature of the behaviour, the context in which it arises, and the consequences flowing from it.

Four representatives from both sides of the issue, the physicians versus hospital administrators and medical directors, engaged in a debate on disputes that arise in healthcare settings.

The event was moderated by Dr. David Cameron a lawyer-physician of Cameron Health Law Consulting.

Participants included:

John Morris, Borden Ladner Gervais, LLP
Dr. Ken Melvin, UHN
Tracey Tremayne-Lloyd, Gardiner Roberts LLP
Lisa Constantine, McCarthy Tetrault LLP

Dr. Cameron provided a summary of the event on the OBA Health Matters newsletter.