Small group of doctors accounts for large share of patient complaints
A small group of Victorian doctors accounts for nearly 20 per cent of patient complaints against doctors in private practice in the State, a University of Melbourne study has shown.
Researchers recommend that intervening with these complaint-prone doctors may help improve patient satisfaction and public confidence in health services.
The researchers examined the characteristics of doctors who were repeated subjects of complaints by patients to the Health Services Commissioner of Victoria between 2000 and 2009. Their findings are reported in the latest Medical Journal of Australia.
The researchers found that complaint-prone doctors were more likely to be male, surgeons or psychiatrists, have trained in Australia, and to have been in practice for at least 30 years.
Lead researcher Dr Marie Bismark from the University of Melbourne’s School of Population Health said that complaints clearly clustered around certain doctors. “In Victoria, our analyses of doctors in private practice suggest that less than 100 practitioners, or one per cent of the medical workforce in private practice, account for nearly 20 per cent of complaints,” she said.
“Commissions play a vital role in protecting patients’ rights in the Australian healthcare system. But case-by-case complaints resolution processes largely overlook the importance of past complaints as a predictor of future complaints. Commissions’ resources end up being spread quite thinly across all complaints.
“While most doctors appear to be at minimal risk of multiple complaints, a small group account for a disproportionate number of concerns.”
Dr Bismark also said that identifying these high-risk doctors and steering them back towards safer practice may help improve patient satisfaction and public confidence in the health care system.
“Interventions should be tailored to concerns identified in complaints and the risk of future complaints,” she said.
The Medical Journal of Australia is a publication of the Australian Medical Association.
The statements or opinions that are expressed in the MJA reflect the views of the authors and do not represent the official policy of the AMA unless that is so stated.
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