Addressing the phenomenon of disruptive physician behavior.

This timely article provides current information on an age-old issue of disruptive physician behavior within the hospital setting. Documented in medical literature over 100 years ago, disruptive physician behavior has been an ongoing challenge to the hospital staff and the quality of patient care in the hospital. Covered in this article are the negative consequences of disruptive physician behavior and the call to respond. If allowed to go unchecked, a physician exhibiting disruptive behavior may threaten a hospital's image, staff morale, finance, and quality of care. Failure to respond undermines the leadership of the hospital and the trust of the community in the hospital's mission. Included in this article are suggestions obtained from the literature and from the author's experience in responding to disruptive physician behavior. Of emphasis is a methodology that includes supporting bylaws and policies to manage disruptive physician behavior.