You have to give respect to get respect from physicians

Many material managers, operating room managers, infection control practitioners and central service managers are intimidated by doctors, feeling physicians are somehow operating at a different level than they are.

This mystique can impede efforts to form good relationships with clinicians, experts say.

"Physicians are human beings, just as we are," said Allen Pendergrass, director of material management, Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, Spartanburg, SC.

Material managers and other hospital employees should not fear physician interaction but rather seek it out, he said.

"Make yourself known to them in social gatherings, and try to attend medical staff meetings," Pendergrass advised.

Proper positioning

The manner in which you approach physicians is key, experts said.

"Make sure that physicians understand that you are there to meet their needs," said Paul Dits, director of material management, St. Francis Hospitals, Indianapolis. "It is important to distance yourself from administration a bit by telling them that. If they ask why they should cooperate, and what they will get out of it, tell them they will get a full-service purchasing department."

Another good strategy is to ask doctors for their opinions on products and services, said Miggs Gorrilla, a registered nurse and manager of the sterile processing department, St. Agnes Medical Center, Fresno, CA. When comparing products and services, use charts and graphs to show costs, if appropriate.

"Once the physicians realize the cost of what you are carrying and what they are using, they are more apt to start working together to make supply decisions," Gorrilla said.

While physicians today tend to be more understanding about cost issues than they were in previous years, doctors' equipment preferences are still a common sore spot, said Vivian C. Watson, director of perioperative services, Baptist Memorial Hospital, Oxford, MS.

"Maybe physicians want a new drill but the old drill will work just as well," said Watson. "And it may take you a while to sell that idea because of budget constraints. They don't like the red tape of having to wait while you try to justify it."

In this case, it helps to remind doctors that everyone has the same goal -- the delivery of quality, patient-focused care, Watson said.

Doctors as zealots

Asking physicians to join committees is another way to make them more involved in decision-making, said Deanie Lancaster, nurse epidemiologist at St. Thomas Health Services, Nashville, TN. Doctors participate in many interdisciplinary committees at her institution, including several focused on quality improvement.

"Once you convert doctors to the quality improvement process, they become zealots," Lancaster said. "And when physicians believe strongly in something, they will take on other physicians for you."

Other tips

Experts also gave this advice:

* When doctors make a request, get back to them quickly.

* Let doctors vent a little. If one says, "I don't want any cheap stuff," agree with that Never argue with physicians.

* Give doctors an element of choice, In the case of heart valves, for example, a vendor's full line may still not offer everything that physicians and patients need.

* Get doctors' input -- let them know they have some control.

COPYRIGHT 2000 Nelson Publishing
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group