Document Detail


Adaptive leadership and the practice of medicine: a complexity-based approach to reframing the doctor-patient relationship.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20846289     Owner:  NLM     Status:  In-Process    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This paper applies the concepts of 'adaptive leadership', as developed by Ron Heifetz, MD, to the practice of medicine.
METHODS: Literature review and theory development.
RESULTS: Patients are complex adaptive systems facing both adaptive and technical health challenges. Technical health challenges are amenable to the simple or complicated expert-mediated technical interventions that are common in modern medicine, but complex adaptive challenges can only be addressed by patients doing the adaptive work to learn new attitudes, beliefs and behaviours. In medicine, we often make the mistake of offering technical interventions in lieu of supporting patients' adaptive work. This error can result in poor clinical outcomes and wasted resources. Expecting simple or complicated technical 'solutions' to resolve complex adaptive health challenges is a failure of adaptive leadership and violates Ashby's law of requisite variety. Adaptive leadership behaviours correspond to and complement doctor practices that have been shown to improve health outcomes and doctor-patient communication.
CONCLUSIONS: Adopting an adaptive leadership framework in the practice of medicine will require adaptive work on our part, but it promises to improve the doctor-patient relationship, increase our effectiveness as healers and reduce unnecessary health care utilization.
Authors:
Marcus Thygeson; Lawrence Morrissey; Val Ulstad
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Journal of evaluation in clinical practice     Volume:  16     ISSN:  1365-2753     ISO Abbreviation:  J Eval Clin Pract     Publication Date:  2010 Oct 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-09-17     Completed Date:  -     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9609066     Medline TA:  J Eval Clin Pract     Country:  England    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  1009-15     Citation Subset:  IM    
Copyright Information:
© 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Affiliation:
Center for Health Care Innovation, Allina Hospitals and Clinics, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55407-1321, USA. marcus.thygeson@allina.com
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