Click here for an overview of SPR. Click here for the history of SPR. Click here to learn how to distinguish between real and fake peer reviews.
You don’t hear about SPR as often as it actually happens. Because people who have experienced SPR are more likely to have signed non-disclosure agreements or self-isolated in shame after being ostracized from an organization built on helping others. . Victims often blame themselves when it is their own superiority that caused the experience.
The effects of SPR are brutal, if not already apparent. Victims say the lies and gaslighting have left them questioning their own identity and abilities, leaving them extremely emotionally and psychologically unstable. The effects can last for a long time through post-traumatic stress disorder. In effect, SPRs are often career-ending and contribute to the massive physician shortage by eliminating qualified physicians for non-medical reasons.
Most disturbingly, rather than confronting differences of opinion, philosophy, or strategy head-on, or speaking the truth about budget cuts, competition, and scarcity, we undermine others’ character as an “easier” way to ostracize colleagues. is selected. Working environment and general medical care. But it is this lack of character, integrity, dignity, and respect for human life that gives individuals the power to make false claims against other well-placed colleagues. It is the lack of emotional intelligence and conflict resolution skills on the part of physicians that leads to unethical behavior that degrades the lives of people who have dedicated their lives to improving the lives of others. The perfectionism and tenacious competitiveness that we are encouraged to embody in order to enter the medical field will ultimately destroy us.
We incorporate content that incorporates trust building, boundary setting, empathy, and resilience from shame to overcome the lack of psychological safety that fosters so many unethical behaviors in medical culture. To achieve this goal, not only medical education and training but also the medical selection process must be revamped.
If you think you may be a target of SPR, read the following tips.
Live by the Golden Rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated. If you step out of line, own it, apologize, and fix it. This means taking responsibility for your actions and taking steps to rebuild trust with the person you harmed by violating your integrity. However, acquiescence or trust in questionable SPRs can lead to self-destruction rather than a peaceful resolution. If you feel you may be in SPR, believe in yourself. Even if you’re paranoid, it’s important to protect yourself. Don’t go to Human Resources or the Medical Executive Committee (MEC). They protect the patient and the facility, not you. Instead, they often retaliate against those who report them for help. Instead, read and learn your healthcare provider’s terms and conditions. Stay informed as it may change by the MEC. Get to know your MEC members, remembering that even MEC members are victims of SPR by their own committees. If you are told that you do not need an attorney or that the peer review process does not allow you to request an attorney, this is a sign that you need to consult an independent attorney who is familiar with SPR and who will protect your rights. Please think that. Hire a lawyer early in the process to give you perspective and help you maintain your truth in the face of seriously destabilizing gaslighting. You may have been conditioned not to trust lawyers, but in these cases, lawyers are often more trustworthy than the health care system in which you work. Specifically, hire a medical lawyer rather than a medical malpractice lawyer. See bylaws. However, please understand that legal civil rights are important even in a medical setting. Record and save all meetings using your mobile phone or AI device. If your case ends up in court, have a court reporter record the peer review hearing. Make copies of all email and text communications before, during, and after the SPR. Under no circumstances should you resign while an investigation is underway or an ongoing investigation is underway. This is because it may be reported to the National Physician Data Bank (NPDB) even after retirement. Once reported to the NPDB, only the person who submitted it can remove it. If legal action is taken, make sure it includes a clause to opt out of being reported. Many, but not always, those reported are blacklisted from practicing medicine in the United States. Contact Physician Just Equity (PJE). The organization provides confidential peer support to physicians and surgeons navigating workplace conflicts and is a balanced organization that advocates for optimal patient care and needed system reform through education, research, empowerment, and advocacy. We are a collaborative organization that advocates for solutions. Harvest the wisdom of those who have personally experienced injustice to reduce it. The American Association of Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) is the only national medical association that helps physicians fight back against fake inspections. You can reach us at 1-800-635-1196, and we also have a fake peer review hotline: 719-627-7759. Dr. Lawrence Huntoon of AAPS recently wrote about filing lawsuits for intentional or negligent fraud. Physicians cannot obtain punitive damages for breach of contract claims, but they can obtain punitive damages for fraud claims. Read Aisun Aragos’ memoir, The Medical Matrix: One Physician’s Story Maneuvering the Minefields of Medicine. This book documents her real-life experiences and provides in-depth support and survival strategies for those surviving SPR and its effects. Seek support and advice from people outside your practice or institution. Unbiased nonprofit organizations like PJE provide emotional support, wisdom, and non-legal advice in a psychologically safe way. Confidential support from colleagues who have experienced SPR is invaluable.
Currently, there is no reliable way to protect someone from SPR other than going outside the health care system at your own time and expense. It’s up to you to protect your own integrity, sanity, and self-respect. It is up to all of us as physicians to do the difficult and potentially vulnerable work to reach a future free of SPR.
Tracy O’Connell is an educator and coach who develops positive self-esteem, psychological safety, emotional intelligence, and shame resilience in physicians, teens, and LGBTQ+ people. She is a certified facilitator of the Expressive Writing Program and Brené Brown Research. Her change in direction came after years of feeling “not good enough,” whether as a person, a doctor, a parent, or a partner. Tracy believes that writing expressively can help us access our true selves, gain self-trust and self-compassion, and ultimately create a more authentic and heartfelt belonging to the world. I realized that it leads to consciousness. She is also an advocate for universal, affordable, fair, safe, and equitable health care access, education, and practice. Since 1992, she has lived in Durham/Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where she began her medical career in radiology and musculoskeletal imaging and trained at UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University .
You can reach her through her website, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram @fertile__soul and YouTube.
