From insight to action: tackling underperformance in health professionals
Performance problems among healthcare professionals can have significant implications for patient safety. Estimates suggest approximately 6–12% of physicians experience performance issues,1 while about one in three healthcare professionals report encountering a poorly performing colleague within the past year.2 Performance problems can arise from individual-level causes including physical illness, substance use disorders, cognitive impairment, mood or personality disorders, and failure to acquire or maintain the knowledge and skills necessary to safely carry out their responsibilities.3 Furthermore, broader systemic issues, including excessive workloads, inadequate resources, lack of institutional support and poor workplace culture, can contribute to or exacerbate performance problems.4 The performance of healthcare professionals is generally evaluated against a set of standards or core competencies of a particular profession that commonly require health professionals to maintain the knowledge, procedural proficiencies, communication skills and professionalism to effectively care for patients. Deficiencies in any...