Using a large data set of 7926 doctors, a paper in BMJ Open* sheds some interesting light on how complaints affect doctors. The response rate was low (8.3%), so conclusions have to be interpreted with caution. That said, some of the highlights of study were:
- Of doctors who had a recent complaint (of any kind) 77% were more likely to suffer from moderate to
severe depression than those who have never had a complaint.
They also have double the risk of having thoughts
of self-harm and double the risk of anxiety.
- 80% of doctors answering
the survey reported changing the way they practiced
as a result of either complaints against themselves, or
after observing a colleague go through a complaints
process.
It's a cross sectional paper, so its difficult to establish any casual link. For example, it is possible that doc's suffering from mental health problems may be more likely to have complaints made against them.
Anyway, interesting paper, limitations aside.
* Bourne T,
Wynants L, Peters M, et al.
The impact of complaints
procedures on the welfare,
health and clinical practise of
7926 doctors in the UK:
a cross-sectional survey. BMJ
Open 2015;4:e006687.
doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2014-
006687
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