1. Home
  2. Vol 3, No 3 (2021)
  3. Dhahri

Leadership Perception during COVID-19 Pandemic: The Critical Criticism on Surgical Leadership

Adeel Abbas Dhahri, Ubaid Ur Rehman, Syeda Shahana Ali, Muhammad Hussnain Iqbal, Alexandra Lupu, Mehvish Adeel Dhahri, Jonathan Refson

Abstract


Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has altered the expectations of team leaders by team members while they seek clear and efficient decisions. We aim to assess the perception of leadership by the surgical team members and their perception of the most important quality of leadership. We conducted an online national cross-sectional survey among the surgical doctors working in the National Health Service United Kingdom, between 15th July 2020 till 31st August 2020. The questionnaire, based on rating scale items, focused on effects of changes in work-pattern, support and communication at workplace, the status of leadership and understanding of different leadership attributes. Out of two hundred and thirteen participants, majority of respondents were middle-grade registrars (n= 92, 43.7%). Most of the doctors (147,81.7%) were never re-deployed to the high-risk areas. 85(39.9 %) expressed that COVID-19 brought distress affecting their morale. 106(49.8%) thought that arrangement of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was the responsibility of the Head of Department. The majority, of those who fell ill, felt adequately supported by their seniors. Most participants identified departmental leadership as satisfactory (n=126, 59.2%). There was a mixed response to the importance of leadership attributes defined by the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management. Stress at the workplace with reduced morale, during a crisis like COVID-19 pandemic, can significantly compromise leadership perception among team members. Understanding of basics of leadership by the team members can improve departmental efficiency and as a result improve patient care.

 

Doi: 10.28991/SciMedJ-2021-0303-6

Full Text: PDF


Keywords


Surgical Leadership; Surgical Teams; Perception; COVID-19.

References


Nigam, A. (2018). Multiple and competing goals in organisations: insights for medical leaders. BMJ Leader, 2(3), 85–86. doi:10.1136/leader-2018-000112.

Asamani, J. A., Naab, F., Ofei, A. M. A., & Addo, R. (2016). Do leadership styles influence productivity? British Journal of Healthcare Management, 22(2), 83–91. doi:10.12968/bjhc.2016.22.2.83.

Kyratsis, Y., Armit, K., Zyada, A., & Lees, P. (2016). Medical leadership and management in the United Kingdom. Australasian Psychiatry, 24(3), 240–242. doi:10.1177/1039856216635909.

Lees, P. (2015). Professionalising medical leadership. Future Hospital Journal, 2(3), 208–210. doi:10.7861/futurehosp.2-3-208.

Iserson, K. (2020). Healthcare Ethics during a Pandemic. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 21(3), 477-483. doi:10.5811/westjem.2020.4.47549.

Brethauer, S. A., Poulose, B. K., Needleman, B. J., Sims, C., Arnold, M., Washburn, K., … Pawlik, T. M. (2020). Redesigning a Department of Surgery during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, 24(8), 1852–1859. doi:10.1007/s11605-020-04608-4.

Linton, J., & Farrell, M. J. (2009). Nurses’ perceptions of leadership in an adult intensive care unit: A phenomenology study. Intensive and Critical Care Nursing, 25(2), 64–71. doi:10.1016/j.iccn.2008.11.003.

Dhahri AA, Iqbal MR, Darwish N., & Vijay V. (2020). The Importance of Followership in a Crisis- Lessons Learnt From a Survey of Junior Doctors’ Perception of Leadership during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Universal Surgery 8 (6):4

Elm, E. von, Altman, D. G., Egger, M., Pocock, S. J., Gøtzsche, P. C., & Vandenbroucke, J. P. (2007). Strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies. BMJ, 335(7624), 806–808. doi:10.1136/bmj.39335.541782.ad.

World Health Organization. Mental health and psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak. Available online: https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/mental-health-considerations.pdf (accessed on 6 September 2020).

Kursumovic, E., Lennane, S., & Cook, T. M. (2020). Deaths in healthcare workers due to COVID-19: the need for robust data and analysis. Anaesthesia, 75(8), 989–992. doi:10.1111/anae.15116.

Rimmer, A. (2020). Covid-19: what do trainees need to know? BMJ, m1276. doi:10.1136/bmj.m1276.

Shanafelt, T., Ripp, J., & Trockel, M. (2020). Understanding and Addressing Sources of Anxiety among Health Care Professionals during the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA, 323(21), 2133. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.5893.

Sohmen, V. S. (2013). Leadership and teamwork: Two sides of the same coin. Journal of IT and Economic Development, 4(2), 1-18.

Public Health England (2020) COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE). Available online: https://www.gov.uk/ government/publications/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-infection-prevention-and-control/covid-19-personal-protective-equipment-ppe (accessed on 11 Sep. 2020).

Leadership and management standards for medical professionals. Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management. Available online: https://www.fmlm.ac.uk/standards (accessed on 15 July 2020).

Otara, A. (2011). Perception: A Guide for Managers and Leaders. Journal of Management and Strategy, 2(3), 21-24. doi:10.5430/jms.v2n3p21.


Full Text: PDF

DOI: 10.28991/SciMedJ-2021-0303-6

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2021 Adeel Abbas Dhahri, Ubaid Ur Rehman, Syeda Shahana Ali, Muhammad Hussnain Iqbal, Alexandra Lupu, Mehvish Adeel Dhahri, Jonathan Refson