Complaints from patients, which can lead to hospital and medical board investigations, frequently leave doctors emotionally distressed, according to a new British study.
The complaints can seriously impact doctors’ psychological wellbeing, the study from researchers at Imperial College London found. The researchers examined the answers to open-ended questions that were part of a survey of more than 7,000 British doctors who had experienced a previous or current complaint. The General Medical Council regulates doctors in the United Kingdom and can stop or limit physicians’ rights to practice medicine. Complaints are also investigated through hospital or clinic internal processes.
Some of the comments from doctors who faced complaints from patients included: “Makes you feel worthless even when you know you've done the best you can” and “It seemed as if the patient is presumed to be right, and the doctor is presumed wrong, unless you can prove otherwise." One doctor even said, “My life was ruined,” according to an announcement about the study, which was published in BMJ Open.
The complaint process may have a negative impact on patient care, as patient complaints were also associated with defensive practice, the study found. The number of patient complaints against doctors in the United Kingdom has risen dramatically in recent years, doubling between 2007 and 2012.
“Doctors frequently reported feeling powerless, emotionally distressed, and experiencing negative feelings towards both those managing complaints and the complainants themselves. Many felt unsupported, fearful of the consequences and that the complaint was unfair,” the authors of the study wrote.
"Although it is absolutely right that patients' should feel able to complain about their treatments--and that these complaints are properly investigated, this study suggests the complaint process needs improvement, lead author Tom Bourne, an adjunct professor in Imperial’s department of surgery and cancer, said in the announcement.
The complaint process needs to more transparent and grievances need to be resolved more quickly, the researchers said. Doctors also need to receive emotional support during the complaint process, they said.
- read the study
- check out the announcement