Professionalism: identifying current themes

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review analyzes the literature on medical professionalism in order to inform further study, educational activity, and reflective practice for all phases of a physician's professional development from medical school through practice. RECENT FINDINGS: Several themes emerged from an analysis of the writing about medical professionalism during the past year. A number of authors attempted to identify concrete behaviors associated with attributes and characteristics used to define professionalism. These behaviors in turn became the focus of teaching and assessment activities primarily conducted with medical students and residents. Educators who attempted to assess professionalism achieved some modest success in reporting valid and reliable results of their efforts. Each of these activities points to a systemic component of professionalism that includes five broad categories of relationships in which physicians engage. All five categories are important to understanding and acting on the values and attitudes required by professionalism in medicine. SUMMARY: Competence to practice medicine includes the ability of physicians to demonstrate professionalism in all the relationships in which they engage. The attributes and characteristics used to define professionalism contribute to recognizing the behaviors that should be apparent not only in the physician-to-patient relationship which is at its core, but also in relationships with other physicians, colleagues in the health care system, society, and oneself. All these relationships must be appropriately aligned with the values and attitudes that form a collective understanding of professionalism that has emerged within the profession.