ABIM Foundation Names Top Articles in Medical Professionalism

Celebrating Fifth Anniversary, Professionalism Article Prize Renamed in Honor of ABIM and ABIM Foundation President Emeritus John A. Benson Jr., MD

Philadelphia, PA – Today, the ABIM Foundation announced this year’s recipients of the Professionalism Article Prize. The winning articles explored pressing professionalism challenges facing physicians:

• “Intervention to Promote Physician Well-being, Job Satisfaction, and Professionalism: A Randomized Clinical Trial” by Colin P. West, MD, PhD; Liselotte N. Dyrbye, MD, MHPE; Jeff T. Rabatin, MD, MSc; Tim G. Call, MD; John H. Davidson, MD; Adamarie Multari, MD; Susan A. Romanski, MD; Joan M. Henriksen Hellyer, RN, PhD; Jeff A. Sloan, PhD; and Tait D. Shanafelt, MD.The study, published in the April 2014 edition of JAMA Internal Medicine, is the first randomized clinical trial evaluating an initiative to promote meaning in work and reduce distress among physicians. The authors found that an intervention for physicians based on a facilitated small-group curriculum showed sustained engagement in work and reduced depersonalization.
• “Hospital Relationships With Direct-to-Consumer Screening Companies” by Erik A. Wallace, MD; John H. Schumann, MD; and Steven E. Weinberger, MD.This Viewpoint, published in the September 2014 edition of JAMA, focuses on relationships between direct-to-consumer (DTC) screening companies and hospitals. The authors urge DTC screening companies and hospitals to provide evidence for tests and treatments they offer. They suggest that hospitals publically disclose their relationships with DTC companies – or cut ties.
• “Instituting a Culture of Professionalism: The Establishment of a Center for Professionalism and Peer Support” by Jo Shapiro, MD, FACS; Anthony Whittemore, MD, FACS; and Lawrence C. Tsen, MD.This article, published in the April 2014 edition of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, is an outcomes study of the Center for Professionalism and Peer Support (CPPS) at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The authors present the outcomes as well the background, structure and necessary leadership components critical to the creation and success of the CPPS – with a focus on the handling concerns program that holds individuals accountable for their professional behavior.

In 2011, the ABIM Foundation created the annual prize to celebrate and encourage outstanding contributions to the growing body of literature on medical professionalism and commitments articulated in the Physician Charter. Over the past five years, more than 400 articles have been considered for the Professionalism Article Prize and 15 winners declared.

In recognition of the important role the prize plays in advancing medical professionalism, the Foundation also announced today that it is renaming the award the John A. Benson Jr., MD Professionalism Article Prize in honor of American Board of Internal Medicine and ABIM Foundation President Emeritus John A. Benson Jr., MD.

For more than two decades, Dr. Benson taught medical students at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where he also worked to foster interprofessional education, and at Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine, where he also served on the Center for Ethics in Health Care. He has received several honors, including the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Abraham Flexner Award for impacting medical education on a national scale, and the American College of Physicians’ John Phillips Memorial Award for outstanding work in clinical medicine. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine and has also written extensively about professionalism and medical education.

“We are proud to honor Dr. Benson’s many contributions to internal medicine and professionalism through the Professionalism Article Prize,” said Richard J. Baron, MD, President and CEO of the ABIM Foundation. “Dr. Benson’s influence in the field continues as evidenced by the robust amount of scholarly articles on professionalism published annually. By shining a spotlight on these important contributions, the awards draw attention to critical professionalism issues that arise as the practice of medicine continues to change. This year’s winning articles demonstrate the profession’s ongoing commitment to meet new challenges and find ways to ensure that patients receive the best care.”

Articles published in English language, peer-reviewed journals between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014 were eligible for the prize. A committee of physicians, a medical student and other leaders in health care reviewed 40 articles meeting those criteria and selected the winners based on clarity of writing, thoroughness, methodology and contributions to the field and society.

Members of the selection committee included:

• Louise Arnold, PhD, Professor Emerita, Office of Medical Education, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine
• Barry Egener, MD, Medical Director, The Foundation for Medical Excellence
• Rosemary Gibson, author, Medicare Meltdown
• Wendy Levinson, MD, Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto
• Lorna Lynn, MD, Director, Practice Assessment, American Board of Internal Medicine
• Walter McDonald, MD, MACP, Emeritus Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine
• Brian Powers, Medical Student, Harvard Medical School
• Daniel Wolfson, MHSA, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, ABIM Foundation

Links to the winners’ abstracts, along with a comprehensive medical professionalism bibliography and information on previous winners, can be found on the Foundation’s website at www.abimfoundation.org.

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The mission of the ABIM Foundation is to advance medical professionalism to improve the health care system. We achieve this by collaborating with physicians and physician leaders, medical trainees, health care delivery systems, payers, policy makers, consumer organizations and patients to foster a shared understanding of professionalism and how they can adopt the tenets of professionalism in practice. To learn more about the ABIM Foundation, visit www.abimfoundation.org, connect with us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

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