Medical leadership for addressing the healthcare crisis in Chile?

Abstract

Chile’s healthcare crisis has exposed structural tensions arising from financial constraints, excessive waiting times, and poor user satisfaction indicators. In this context, medical leadership has re-emerged as a strategic issue for strengthening health system management. This article reviews the main approaches to administration, management, and leadership—from classical traditions to contemporary evidence-based perspectives—highlighting that leading healthcare organizations requires professional competencies that go beyond clinical training.

A review of international and Latin American literature shows associations between clinical leadership and improved outcomes in quality, safety, and organizational culture, although studies caution that the evidence remains heterogeneous and largely correlational. The review also identifies important contributions from administrative and nursing leadership, supporting the need for interprofessional governance models.

The article argues that physicians should not seek leadership roles on the basis of their profession alone, but through rigorous training in management and leadership. When clinical experience is complemented by these competencies, physicians can play a valuable role in strategic decision-making and in improving institutional performance. The article concludes that investing in leadership and management training for physicians is a key strategy for building safer, more efficient, and more patient-centered healthcare organizations.