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The healthcare setting often involves sensitive and intimate exams that present challenges other businesses don’t face. Medical chaperones can provide a level of comfort for patients and may help ensure the best possible experience for patients and physicians alike. In so doing, the likelihood of a sexual misconduct allegation based on a misunderstanding is greatly reduced.¹ And while the case study below involves a physician and this article references physicians throughout, the lessons and recommendations are applicable to any healthcare professional.

Healthcare organizations are increasingly recognizing the importance of engaging physicians and other clinicians in their leadership teams, and this engagement will become even more important as the healthcare environment becomes more challenging. However, leadership responsibilities can contribute to stress and physician burnout when physicians and other clinicians don’t have the leadership skills needed to work collaboratively with their peers or when organizations lack a collaborative culture.

A medical malpractice lawsuit can be overwhelming, affecting physicians and other clinicians both personally and professionally. Even before the resolution of the lawsuit, the stress from the litigation process can impact their practice and potentially their family, and may even diminish the prospects of a successful outcome to their case. Although 34 percent of physicians have been named in a malpractice claim, a lawsuit is still personal and is a contributing factor to physician burnout.

Achieving work-life balance can be particularly challenging for physicians, who often devote far more than 40 hours per week to work-related activities. This imbalance often leads to physician burnout. With the support of administrators, physicians and other clinicians can maintain balance between work and non-work activities by using deliberate planning and by setting realistic expectations.

While the number of people getting vaccinations for their children is relatively stable,¹ some parents are hesitant about or refuse vaccines, or want to depart from the recommended schedule, yet patient safety and public health goals call for physicians to discuss vaccination with parents in order to facilitate wide vaccine acceptance. In this special report, NORCAL’s risk management experts identify the most helpful strategies for communicating with parents about vaccination.