Although clinical supervision is mandatory for physicians in training, it is not routine for more seasoned clinicians, Jonathon Tomlinson, MD, wrote in a blog post for BioMed Central. Consequently, physicians become uncomfortable having their work scrutinized by others and fall out of the healthy habit of reflecting on their practice with others.
This type of professional isolation can lead to stress and burnout, which regular clinical supervision has been shown to mitigate, according to Dr. Tomlinson. He cites the practice of large-group clinical supervision with a narrative component, in which professionals whose challenges have less to do with technical knowledge and more to do with relationships with colleagues, administrators or patients discuss those difficulties with peers.
Though the type of clinical supervision may vary, the functions of clinical supervision always include education and support, Dr. Tomlinson writes. Incorporating a support system facilitates teamwork, open discourse and reflective practices, he argues. Such a system can foster a culture with less focus on hierarchies, so physicians are more comfortable giving and receiving supervision from nurses, or those with less seniority, and vice versa.
"Stopping us from providing clinical supervision for all professionals are problems of acceptance and access," Dr. Tomlinson writes. "Some professionals think that they have no need once they have completed their training. They see supervision as a slight on their independence, in spite of the increasingly team-based nature of modern healthcare."
Dr. Tomlinson concludes his post saying he has little doubt that quality care, professional resilience and patient safety depend on developing this type of culture.