From the Guidelines

The primary responsibility of clinicians is to provide benefit to their patients.

Patient care: Clinicians have a duty to provide high-quality care to their patients, taking into account their individual needs, goals, and values 1.
Medical decision making: Clinicians must use their medical knowledge, including clinical research, experiential knowledge, and pathophysiologic understanding, to make informed decisions about patient care 1.
Patient communication: Clinicians should communicate effectively with their patients, providing timely and relevant information, and responding empathically to their emotional needs 1.
Advocacy: Clinicians have a responsibility to advocate for their patients' interests, particularly in administrative and business decisions that may impact patient care 1.

Resource allocation: Clinicians must balance their duty to individual patients with the need to allocate resources efficiently and effectively, taking into account the broader needs of the healthcare system 1.
Research participation: Clinicians should support sound clinical research, but also ensure that their patients are not exposed to excessive or unnecessary risk 1.
Conflicts of interest: Clinicians must avoid conflicts of interest, such as incentives from businesses or pharmaceutical companies, that may influence their clinical judgment 1.

From the Research

The primary responsibilities of clinicians, also known as healthcare professionals, can be summarized as follows:

Providing clinical prevention and population health activities, which are increasingly recognized as integral to their practice 2
Participating in interprofessional education and practice, which is essential for better communication and collaboration among healthcare professionals 2, 3
Contributing to the field of prevention and population health, with each health profession having its unique contributions 2
Ensuring smooth care transitions, which involves components such as communication, coordination, and accountability 4
Providing patient-centered care, which includes chronic and preventive care, as well as hospital-to-home transitions 3
Working in integrated behavioral health care (IBHC) models, which aim to address the significant need for behavioral health services in primary and specialty medical settings 5
Implementing evidence-based practices (EBPs), which have been consistently linked to improved quality of care, patient safety, and positive clinical outcomes 6

Clinicians work in various settings, including:

Acute care hospitals, where they provide care to patients with acute illnesses or injuries 4, 6
Primary care practices, where they provide preventive and chronic care to patients 3, 5
Community-based outpatient practices, where they provide care to patients in community settings 4
Home healthcare agencies, where they provide care to patients in their homes 4

Clinicians face several challenges, including:

Ambiguity in accountability during care transitions 4
Barriers to performing ideal roles, such as lack of reimbursement and training 4, 3
Need for coordinated and consistent use of established nomenclature and methods to evaluate evidence-based practice and patient outcomes 6 However, there are also opportunities for clinicians to expand their roles and improve patient outcomes, such as:
Implementing IBHC models, which can improve care quality and reduce costs 5
Using evidence-based practices, which can improve patient outcomes and return on investment for healthcare systems 6