BMJ LeaderPub Date : 2025-10-14DOI: 10.1136/leader-2025-001228
Gemma Shearer, Simon Nicole, Ben Bowling, Jawaad Saleem, Nasri Zreik, Cloe Hubbard, Duncan Tennent, Linda Hindle, Manraj Phull, Tim W R Briggs, William K Gray
{"title":"Potential carbon savings in the management of shoulder dislocations through allied health professional-led patient pathways: an observational study using audit data.","authors":"Gemma Shearer, Simon Nicole, Ben Bowling, Jawaad Saleem, Nasri Zreik, Cloe Hubbard, Duncan Tennent, Linda Hindle, Manraj Phull, Tim W R Briggs, William K Gray","doi":"10.1136/leader-2025-001228","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/leader-2025-001228","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Streamlined healthcare pathways can have advantages in terms of a more efficient service and better outcomes for patients, financial savings and lower carbon footprint. The aim of this study was to look at the potential carbon savings associated with streamlining clinical care pathways for people presenting to the emergency department (ED) with shoulder dislocation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This was a retrospective analysis of routinely collected clinical data for the purposes of quality improvement. Data were collected for randomly selected patients recorded as attending the ED of a major trauma centre in England with a shoulder dislocation between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023. Data were collected relating to demographics, presentation, treatment received, imaging, hospital attendance and secondary complications. Care activities associated with the current pathways were linked to carbon emissions factors to identify areas for action. Where they existed, mitigation actions were then identified, and potential carbon savings calculated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Data were collected for 154 (88.5%) of 174 patients attending ED with a shoulder dislocation during the study period. raumatic dislocation without fracture patients dominated (68.2%). Across all dislocation types, 92 (59.7%) patients were aged 15-34 years and 109 (70.8%) were male. 13 specific actions that could result in carbon emissions reduction were identified. If these actions were implemented, we estimate that there is potential to save 86.4 kgCO<sub>2</sub>e per patient. For 2022/2023 across the whole of England (n=30 846 patients who presented to ED with a shoulder dislocation), we estimate that 2666 tonnes CO<sub>2</sub>e could be saved enough to power 2426 homes with electricity for 1 year.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>There is scope to substantially reduce the carbon footprint associated with ED attendances for shoulder dislocation. Efficient, streamlined pathways are needed if the National Health Service is to meet its commitment to net-zero carbon emissions by 2045.</p>","PeriodicalId":36677,"journal":{"name":"BMJ Leader","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145303945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BMJ LeaderPub Date : 2025-10-14DOI: 10.1136/leader-2025-001304
Sarah Catherine Walpole
{"title":"Putting environmental sustainability and planetary health into practice: through leadership standards for health professionals.","authors":"Sarah Catherine Walpole","doi":"10.1136/leader-2025-001304","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/leader-2025-001304","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Health professionals can play important roles in promoting planetary health, including by contributing to delivering environmentally sustainable healthcare. Interventions that promote planetary health may be more frequently and effectively implemented where leaders have knowledge, skills and values aligned with planetary health.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>This study aimed to:Highlight synergies between health professionals' leadership competencies and planetary health principles.Elucidate how health professionals can meet their leadership competencies while simultaneously learning about and promoting planetary health.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Health professionals representing multiple professions engaged in discussions exploring how health leadership impacts planetary health. Discussants selected competencies from the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management that align with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and pertain to planetary health. The selected competencies were reworded to explicitly reference planetary health.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>Two competencies in each of seven leadership domains were reworded to explicitly reference planetary health. Practical examples of how these competencies could be achieved while promoting planetary health were developed to guide learners, educators and those developing professional standards to incorporate a planetary health perspective.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>A multiprofessional group identified how health leadership competencies and planetary health priorities can be addressed simultaneously in lifelong learning across all health professions, disciplines and levels of training.</p>","PeriodicalId":36677,"journal":{"name":"BMJ Leader","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145303876","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Diversity in US medical school department chairs: 45-year retrospective analysis.","authors":"Milin Patel, Nachiket Patel, Jeffrey Ding, Shaheer Mujahid, Nancy D Spector, Sophia Kamran, Javed Siddiqi, Faisal Khosa","doi":"10.1136/leader-2025-001283","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/leader-2025-001283","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To evaluate the trends in sex and race/ethnicity demographics of department chairs at US medical schools over 45 years.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>This was a longitudinal retrospective analysis of the Association of American Medical Colleges database.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>The study analysed the sex and race/ethnicity of department chairs in US medical schools.</p><p><strong>Participants: </strong>Department chairs were classified by sex and self-reported race/ethnicity. Data from 1977 to 2022 were used to evaluate changes in the demographic composition of leadership roles over time.</p><p><strong>Exposure: </strong>Identifying as female and/or as part of an under-represented in medicine group.</p><p><strong>Main outcomes and measures: </strong>The outcome measures were demographic (ie, sex, race and ethnicity) trends among department chairs.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The analysis depicted under-representation of women and racial minorities in department chairs. A notable increase was noted in the number of Asian, Black or African American, and Hispanic or Latino department chairs. However, this was outnumbered by the number of white individuals in leadership positions.</p><p><strong>Conclusion and relevance: </strong>The end of affirmative action is expected to jeopardise the progress made and has the potential to perpetuate the lack of diversity in the department chair positions.</p>","PeriodicalId":36677,"journal":{"name":"BMJ Leader","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145303940","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BMJ LeaderPub Date : 2025-10-13DOI: 10.1136/leader-2025-001314
David A Fryburg, Stacey Mueller, Alicia Pilarski, Jennifer L Rabaglia, Jonathon D Truwit
{"title":"Promoting kindness through media increases patient satisfaction in an emergency department: a simple intervention to uplift patients and lower stress.","authors":"David A Fryburg, Stacey Mueller, Alicia Pilarski, Jennifer L Rabaglia, Jonathon D Truwit","doi":"10.1136/leader-2025-001314","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/leader-2025-001314","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>One of the compelling reasons for healthcare leaders to nurture a kinder organisational culture is that kindness buffers stress by creating connection. As stress affects both patients and staff and increases negativity, burnout, distrust and incivility, the impetus for fostering kindness is much greater than just being nice.We have been deploying kindness media (KM)-short form videos depicting acts of kindness and caring-in healthcare. Seeing KM reduces stress and uplifts patients and staff in non-critical settings.The emergency department (ED) is a particularly stressful environment. In the ED, patients' personal stressors are amplified by wait times, anxiety and illness.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>The goal of this observational study was to assess the impact of KM in a level 1 trauma ED. Two questions were addressed. Did KM affect how patients felt? Did viewing KM affect patient satisfaction with their care?</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>KM was displayed on waiting area televisions. Questions were added to the patient experience survey (Press Ganey (PG)) to assess if patients watched KM and, if yes, how it made them feel. We report PG topbox scores (percentage of responses as 'very good').</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>3176 survey responses were included in the analysis. Of these, 361 patients (11%) reported that they had watched KM. Of the 361 patients, 54% reported feeling more positive.In general, patients who watched KM had significantly higher top box scores across care-related questions stratified by waiting time satisfaction. For example, the top box percentage <i>differences</i> for 'overall rating of care' were 9%-27% higher in KM viewers (all p<0.001). Similar results were observed for multiple other questions, including 'Likelihood to recommend our ED' and 'I was treated with respect and dignity'. KM partially offset the negative impact of waiting time.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Viewing KM in this ED is associated with a positive shift in patient perception of their care experience.</p>","PeriodicalId":36677,"journal":{"name":"BMJ Leader","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145293982","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BMJ LeaderPub Date : 2025-10-08DOI: 10.1136/leader-2025-001308
Dana Mathew, Attila J Hertelendy, Gregory R Ciottone
{"title":"Burning to the edge: healthcare leadership in a time of climate-driven wildfires.","authors":"Dana Mathew, Attila J Hertelendy, Gregory R Ciottone","doi":"10.1136/leader-2025-001308","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/leader-2025-001308","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":36677,"journal":{"name":"BMJ Leader","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145253096","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BMJ LeaderPub Date : 2025-10-08DOI: 10.1136/leader-2025-001301
Becca Elson, Brydie Murphy
{"title":"A survey of attitudes, behaviours and barriers to environmental sustainability among healthcare staff at an NHS trust.","authors":"Becca Elson, Brydie Murphy","doi":"10.1136/leader-2025-001301","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/leader-2025-001301","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>For the National Health Service (NHS) in England to reach the target of Net Zero by 2040, transformation of the attitudes and behaviours of healthcare staff across all levels to promote systematic change is required. An understanding of current attitudes and barriers to change is vital for healthcare leaders and sustainability professionals to identify how they can support and encourage staff to adopt these changes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We invited staff from an NHS trust in England to participate in an online survey conducted between December 2024 and March 2025, to investigate NHS healthcare professionals' attitudes towards environmental sustainability, current behaviours and perceived barriers to sustainable healthcare practices.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We received 154 responses from healthcare staff across all pay bands and grades, representing an array of disciplines. 94.8% of staff were concerned about climate change and the environment; 95.5% and 93.5% believe that NHS staff have a responsibility to be aware of, and minimise the impact of their work respectively; and over 80% were willing to make changes to their personal practice or engage in education and training. The most predominant perceived barrier to sustainable healthcare practices was found to be cost (72.1% of responses), with both time and staff attitudes being reported as perceived barriers by 69.5% of respondents.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our results suggest that among the staff surveyed, while there is a high level of willingness to change practice, increased funding is needed to support these changes, especially where sustainability initiatives have longer term cost-savings. There is a desire for more education to encourage and empower staff, and to make changes to NHS practice and policy. There is also a need for more direct leadership to facilitate change and integrate sustainability into the everyday work of healthcare professionals, rather than placing it as an additional burden on already overstretched staff.</p>","PeriodicalId":36677,"journal":{"name":"BMJ Leader","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145253015","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BMJ LeaderPub Date : 2025-10-06DOI: 10.1136/leader-2025-001400
Rakhshan Kamran, Andrea S Doria
{"title":"Shared decision-making in radiology: leadership levers for patient-centred imaging.","authors":"Rakhshan Kamran, Andrea S Doria","doi":"10.1136/leader-2025-001400","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/leader-2025-001400","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Shared decision-making (SDM) is a cornerstone of patient-centred care, yet it has been underused in radiology.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To translate research into innovative strategies to empower radiology leaders to apply SDM and outline the cultural and structural changes required for meaningful integration into clinical practice.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This article synthesises case examples and evidence across imaging scenarios, evaluates emerging innovations and highlights leadership levers that can embed SDM as a core practice in radiology.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Leadership interventions can transform radiology's contribution to SDM. Cases such as incidental pulmonary nodules, breast MRI in familial risk and Li-Fraumeni syndrome illustrate how radiologists can engage directly in preference-sensitive decisions. Key strategies include improving access to imaging data, using patient-friendly summaries, expanding opportunities for direct communication and incorporating patient-reported outcome measures, patient-reported experience measures and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven tools to support patient understanding. Barriers such as workflow demands, medicolegal uncertainty and lack of incentives can be addressed through leadership-driven reforms.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Radiology plays a central role in care pathways, offers clinical and technical expertise and increasing patient-facing innovation. Leaders who embed SDM into training, workflows and systems can enhance radiology as a model of cutting-edge, patient-centred care. Clear actions include training, protected time, incentives, strategic application of AI and transformational leadership.</p>","PeriodicalId":36677,"journal":{"name":"BMJ Leader","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145239825","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BMJ LeaderPub Date : 2025-10-01DOI: 10.1136/leader-2025-001312
Hannah Laura Tomkins, Felicity Anne Devereux
{"title":"Leadership in Preceptorship: Allied Health Professional programmes as a catalyst for early career support and development.","authors":"Hannah Laura Tomkins, Felicity Anne Devereux","doi":"10.1136/leader-2025-001312","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/leader-2025-001312","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>This article evaluates the impact of the allied health professions (AHPs) leadership within the Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust AHP Preceptorship Programme on early career professionals. Preceptorship, defined as structured support during career transitions, is recognised as crucial for developing confidence and autonomy among healthcare workers. While extensive research supports the benefits of preceptorship in nursing, limited evidence exists for AHPs.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To explore the effects of the Oxleas AHP Preceptorship Programme on early career AHPs.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Using a mixed-methods approach, the study surveyed AHPs enrolled in the programme to explore its effects on retention, confidence, continuing professional development and AHP leadership support.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>Key findings include the positive influence of a community of practice in reducing feelings of isolation and creating a sense of belonging, with 92.3% of participants reporting that the programme contributed to their retention. The leadership of AHP-specific preceptorship leads, external to clinical teams, was identified as pivotal in providing tailored support.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Despite its limitations, including a small sample size, the study highlights the value of a dedicated AHP preceptorship programme in improving early career support and development. The findings emphasise the importance of structured support for AHPs and suggest that further research is needed to explore the broader impact of such programmes across different healthcare settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":36677,"journal":{"name":"BMJ Leader","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145208002","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BMJ LeaderPub Date : 2025-09-25DOI: 10.1136/leader-2024-001046
Nagina Khan, Lily Keck, Claudia Sykes, Cassidy Rowden, Julia Simister, Stephen Fenlon, Edyta Mccallum, Madeline Bell, David Whiting, Claire Shelton, Gary Wells, Richard Giles, Jane Howard, Stephen Peckham
{"title":"Diversity, community engagement and co-design in research: a rapid review.","authors":"Nagina Khan, Lily Keck, Claudia Sykes, Cassidy Rowden, Julia Simister, Stephen Fenlon, Edyta Mccallum, Madeline Bell, David Whiting, Claire Shelton, Gary Wells, Richard Giles, Jane Howard, Stephen Peckham","doi":"10.1136/leader-2024-001046","DOIUrl":"10.1136/leader-2024-001046","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>There is increasing recognition in the field of health and social care research that community-engaged methods should include patients and the public throughout the research process. Therefore, individuals from all backgrounds should be involved in the research. We explored the public and patient engagement experience in research and how researchers and community groups can work together to make the research process more inclusive and sustainable. We carried out a rapid review and we present three themes from our results as a narrative summary. We found that partnerships and peer support was important for individuals, and it helped them to understand their role and the expectations of stakeholders. Also, using inclusive environments for diverse communities to participate helped individuals to access research training in their communities enabling them to co-create and co-design with facilitators and their community together. Trust was an important factor for diverse community participation in research and was linked to past experiences of taking part in research. We also found that partnerships, innovative methods of information sharing and context of the individual were important facilitators of inclusion. Analysis also indicated that the design of the studies and recruitment approaches such as using flyers, word of mouth, attending health fairs and partnering with nonprofit community, led to an increase in diverse population partcipation in research.</p>","PeriodicalId":36677,"journal":{"name":"BMJ Leader","volume":" ","pages":"325-330"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142751905","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}