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Perspectives on Medical Education
Published in: Perspectives on Medical Education 3/2019

Open Access 01-06-2019 | Review Article

Is postgraduate leadership education a match for the wicked problems of health systems leadership? A critical systematic review

Authors: Betty Onyura, Sara Crann, David Tannenbaum, Mary Kay Whittaker, Stuart Murdoch, Risa Freeman

Published in: Perspectives on Medical Education | Issue 3/2019

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Abstract

Purpose

There have been a growing number of leadership education programs for physicians. However, debates about the value and efficacy of leadership education in medicine persist, and there are calls for systematic and critical perspectives on medical leadership development. Here, we review evidence on postgraduate leadership education and discuss findings in relation to contemporary evidence on leadership education and practice.

Method

We searched multiple databases for papers on postgraduate leadership development programs, published in English between 2007 and 2017. We identified 4,691 papers; 31 papers met the full inclusion criteria. Data regarding curricular content and design, learner demographics, instructional methods, and learning outcomes were abstracted and synthesized.

Results

There was modest evidence for effectiveness of programs in influencing knowledge and skills gains in select domains. However, the conceptual underpinnings of the ‘leadership’ training delivered were often unclear. Contemporary theory and evidence on leadership practice was not widely incorporated in program design. Programs were almost exclusively uni-professional, focused on discrete skill development, and did not address systems-level leadership issues. Broader leadership capacity building strategies were underutilized. A new wave of longitudinal, integrated clinical and leadership programming is observed.

Conclusions

Our findings raise questions about persistent preparation-practice gaps in leadership education in medicine. Leadership education needs to evolve to incorporate broader collective capacity building, as well as evidence-informed strategies for leadership development. Barriers to educational reform need to be identified and addressed as educators work to re-orientate education programs to better prepare budding physician leaders for the challenges of health system leadership.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Footnotes
1
Leadership development is often in common usage as an umbrella term for both individual leader development and the broader collective leadership development.
 
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Metadata
Title
Is postgraduate leadership education a match for the wicked problems of health systems leadership? A critical systematic review
Authors
Betty Onyura
Sara Crann
David Tannenbaum
Mary Kay Whittaker
Stuart Murdoch
Risa Freeman
Publication date
01-06-2019
Publisher
Bohn Stafleu van Loghum
Published in
Perspectives on Medical Education / Issue 3/2019
Print ISSN: 2212-2761
Electronic ISSN: 2212-277X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40037-019-0517-2

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