YOUR SMA
When working as part of a team, there may be an inadvertent power distance that exists between physicians and
other team members by virtue of where physicians sit in
the health care system. It is important to make efforts to reduce that power distance because a large power distance
can create an unsafe environment. Research has shown that
when power distance is high, other team members are less
likely to speak up if they see an error occurring. However,
physicians have the unique ability to leverage their position
in the system to shift the conversation, decrease power distance and provide safety nets that help reduce medical errors and improve patient care.
Dr. Joshua Tepper
Dr. Joshua Tepper, President and CEO of Health Quality
Ontario, also began his discussion of physician value with
patients. He expla