PRACTICE PARTNER
Dr. Michael
Kaufmann (top) and
Dr. Joy Albuquerque
(bottom)
behaviour, says Dr. Kaufmann, is
really about being uncivil – talking
to colleagues in ways that are rude,
condescending or show a lack of
regard.
Dr. Kaufmann offers a couple of
definitions of civility. It’s more than
being polite (although that should
go without saying). For colleagues
(and anyone), civility also means
disagreeing without disrespect, seek-
ing common ground as a starting
point, and demonstrating care for
the welfare of others and for the
culture you share.
“How we govern ourselves and
how we act matters,” adds Dr. Joy
Albuquerque, a psychiatrist and cur-
rent Medical Director of the OMA’s
Physician Health Program.
In a presentation he has given on the topic,
Dr. Kaufmann shows an image of three
intersecting circles. One is labelled medical
knowledge, one clinical skill and one civil-
ity. The area where they all meet is labelled
competence. You can’t truly be a competent
professional, he offers, without a large mea-
sure of civility.
The danger of civility gaps
This isn’t just about manners. Here’s why
incivility can have such a corrosive effect in
health-care settings, affecting colleagues and
patients both directly and indirectly.
When what Dr. Kaufmann calls “civility
gaps” exist, the workplace can become un-
healthy or unhappy. Morale can suffer. Burn-
out becomes an issue. Service levels drop off.
Mistakes happen. Some people don’t want to
work with certain other people. Communi-
cation and workflows break down.
“You see workarounds, or maybe the best
skills aren’t merging. And the patient suf-
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