Article Text
Abstract
Aims Clinical leadership is an integral part of medicine that is listed as one of the ‘Outcomes for Graduates’’ by the General Medical Council. Studies suggest that there is an underrepresentation of this topic within the medical undergraduate curriculum leading to confusion regarding the responsibilities of clinical leaders and delayed development of leadership skills within junior doctors and medical students. In this review, I aimed to illustrate the true definition of clinical leadership, the benefits of good clinical leadership and the importance of the integration of leadership teaching within the undergraduate curriculum.
Methods A literature review was undertaken using the following databases: Pubmed and Embase. The keywords used were: ‘Clinical Leadership’ and ‘Clinical Management’.
Results To understand the essence of clinical leadership, one must differentiate it from clinical management. The major difference is that leaders bolster change whereas managers stabilize current positions and allocate resources to manage issues.There were numerous instances found where detrimental care was provided in hospital due to poor leadership, further showing the explicit importance of good quality leadership in delivering satisfactory care. Good clinical leadership was shown to provide a higher patient and staff satisfaction, reduced adverse events and an increase in income-per-bed. Early integration of clinical leadership within the undergraduate curriculum was shown to lead to an improved knowledge of leadership roles and more confidence in leading within teams and conflict resolution, both in undergraduate and postgraduate settings.
Conclusions Fundamental knowledge of clinical leadership in junior clinicians and students can lead to significant benefits in the delivery of healthcare. Further research must be undertaken to quantify the improvement of leadership in individuals who have had early education on clinical leadership compared to those who have not.