Spotlighting 'Medical Collegiality'

J R Coll Physicians Edinb. 2023 Dec 30:14782715231221833. doi: 10.1177/14782715231221833. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACT'Collegiality' comes from the Latin term 'Collegium', which essentially refers to a community of individuals bounded by their collective pursuit of a common goal. The concept has historical roots in both organised religion and academia, with its use subsequently extended to various industrial and corporate settings including healthcare. Nowadays, 'collegiality' has become a common buzzword adopted by the medical fraternity - often deemed as having a polite and respectful demeanour, maintaining cordial work relationships and being a team player who demonstrates willingness to help others and avoid speaking ill of fellow colleagues. While it is true that workplace incivility, aggression, bullying and verbal abuse are not uncommonly reported in highly stressful healthcare settings, which are concerning phenomena that should be addressed and prevented, the concept of 'medical collegiality' is, in reality, a rich and multi-faceted concept that is not limited to behavioural attributes, but extends to larger cultural principles and organisational constructs. In this article, we herein define 'medical collegiality' as 'a collective manifestation of respect, empathy and solidarity within the medical fraternity, driven by a common pursuit of clinical excellence in patient care, demonstrated through interpersonal/work relationships and organisational culture', by refer...
Source: Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh - Category: General Medicine Authors: Source Type: research