Understanding the Relationship Between Professional Regulation and Professional Identity in Health Care

Abstract

ABSTRACT Since 2016, the Professional Standards Authority in the United Kingdom (UK) has been building an evidence base to understand the relationship between professional regulation and professional identity of health care professionals. Professional identity can greatly impact the practice of health professionals. To better understand the relationship between professional regulation and professional identity, we conducted a literature review, which gathered definitions of professional identity and analysis of identity among health care professionals. We then commissioned the administration of 16 in-depth interviews with UK health care practitioners to learn their perceptions regarding professional identity and regulation. This paper describes and analyzes the Authority's findings from a policy perspective, suggesting that the professional identity of a health care practitioner is influenced mostly by factors that are local — such as the rapport a practitioner has with a patient, education, mentors, uniforms and external perceptions. These non-regulatory factors take precedence over regulation's influence on the development and maintenance of professional identity. Regulation does appear to have an effect on professional identity when there is a crisis or unusual circumstance (for example removing a professional from practice), but on a daily basis its effects are small, especially compared to other factors.