Physicians as Systemic Change Leaders: Six Applications of Polarity Thinking in Support of Physician Leadership Development

Clinician Satisfaction and the Electronic Health Record

Margaret was invited to speak with a Patient Safety committee at a university hospital. Initially, she considered Clinician Satisfaction and Patient Safety as a polarity pair to facilitate. During her pre-exercise presentation, she realized the electronic health record (EHR) was the elephant in the room, and so suggested participants use Clinician Satisfaction and the EHR as a polarity pair, with Patient Safety being the greater good. Participants were electrified! As you see, the downsides of the EHR were the most numerous – AND the group listed the upsides for the EHR. They also came up with downsides for over-focusing on Clinician Satisfaction. As we walked the polarity loop, stopping in each quadrant, participants commented on how they could see the limitations of the point of view they came in with, and on their seeing the advantages of the view they were sure was wrong.

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