Does medical culture limit doctors' adoption of quality improvement? Lessons from Camelot

Abstract

This paper analyses aspects of medical culture, explains why this culture is antagonistic to quality improvement, and provides solutions to help medical colleges meet the challenge of clinical governance. Like the knights of Camelot, doctors have their own all-pervading culture, occupationally centred, exclusive to the initiated and tending to the traditional, either overtly or through assumed values. The Camelot metaphor is supported by analysis of empirical evidence, especially the documents produced by medical colleges. Suggested initiatives to overcome these organisational barriers include improvements in continuing medical education, accreditation, guideline production and responsibility for the performance of doctors. Central to these improvements should be the involvement of every doctor, via the Delphi process, and substantial contributions to college processes from other health care professions and patients.