ReviewBMC health services research2023
Linking leadership development programs for physicians with organization-level outcomes: a realist review.
Review in BMC health services research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Leadership training in healthcare: a systematic umbrella review.BMJ leader · 2025Pooled it
- Developing quality improvement awareness, skills, and emerging leadership behaviors through clinical audits in postgraduate medical education.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Facilitating leaders to create workplaces where healthcare staff want to work: evaluating a leadership development program.Frontiers in health services · 2026Article
- Addressing Conceptual Gaps in Physician Leadership Development: A Critical Perspective.Journal of healthcare leadership · 2026Article
- Enhancing a Faculty Development Program: Identifying and Addressing Leadership Skill Gaps Using an Established Leadership Framework.Journal of healthcare leadership · 2025Article
- Sustained Impact of an Intramural Faculty Leadership Training Program at an Academic Medical Center.Journal of healthcare leadership · 2025Article
- Developing a Physician Leadership Program Through Inter-Organizational Collaboration.Journal of healthcare leadership · 2025Article
- The Mayo Leadership Impact Index Adapted for Matrix Leadership Structures: Initial Validity Evidence.Journal of healthcare leadership · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHospitals invest in Leadership Development Programs (LDPs) for physicians, assuming they benefit the organization's performance. Researchers have listed the advantages of LDPs, but knowledge of how and why organization-level outcomes are achieved is missing.
objectiveTo investigate how, why and under which circumstances LDPs for physicians can impact organization-level outcomes.
methodsWe conducted a realist review, following the RAMESES guidelines. Scientific articles and grey literature published between January 2010 and March 2021 evaluating a leadership intervention for physicians in the hospital setting were considered for inclusion. The following databases were searched: Medline, PsycInfo, ERIC, Web of Science, and Academic Search Premier. Based on the included documents, we developed a LDP middle-range program theory (MRPT) consisting of Context-Mechanism-Outcome configurations (CMOs) describing how specific contexts (C) trigger certain mechanisms (M) to generate organization-level outcomes (O).
resultsIn total, 3904 titles and abstracts and, subsequently, 100 full-text documents were inspected; 38 documents with LDPs from multiple countries informed our MRPT. The MRPT includes five CMOs that describe how LDPs can impact the organization-level outcomes categories 'culture', 'quality improvement', and 'the leadership pipeline': 'Acquiring self-insight and people skills (CMO1)', 'Intentionally building professional networks (CMO2)', 'Supporting quality improvement projects (CMO3)', 'Tailored LDP content prepares physicians (CMO4)', and 'Valuing physician leaders and organizational commitment (CMO5)'. Culture was the outcome of CMO1 and CMO2, quality improvement of CMO2 and CMO3, and the leadership pipeline of CMO2, CMO4, and CMO5. These CMOs operated within an overarching context, the leadership ecosystem, that determined realizing and sustaining organization-level outcomes.
conclusionsLDPs benefit organization-level outcomes through multiple mechanisms. Creating the contexts to trigger these mechanisms depends on the resources invested in LDPs and adequately supporting physicians. LDP providers can use the presented MRPT to guide the development of LDPs when aiming for specific organization-level outcomes.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.