Grievances against physicians: 11 years' experience of a medical society grievance committee.
OBJECTIVE: To understand causes of patient dissatisfaction that result in complaints. DESIGN: Grievances received by the grievance committee between January 1, 1989, and January 1, 2000, were reviewed. SETTING: A 2-county area of North Carolina. SUBJECTS: Of 29 patients who filed grievances, the 9 male (31%) and 20 female (69%) patients had a mean (+/-SD) age of 39 (+/-19) years. In 18 instances, the patient consulted the physician less than 3 times (64%) before the complaint and in 8 instances more than 4 times (29%). Main outcome measures Allegations of the grievance and the committee's findings. RESULTS: Grievances fell into 5 categories: failure to fulfill expectations for examination and treatment (38%), failure to promptly diagnose (20%), rudeness (17%), producing excessive pain or practicing beyond the area of expertise (13%), and inappropriate behavior related to billings (10%). In 45% of the grievances, the committee found no breach of practice standards. In 17% of the cases, the physician resolved the grievance by apologizing, adjusting a bill, or completing insurance forms. CONCLUSION: Most grievances were filed by younger women against newly encountered physicians and were related to inadequate communication or alleged delay in diagnosis.
Duke Scholars
Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats
Published In
DOI
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Location
Related Subject Headings
- Societies, Medical
- Physician-Patient Relations
- Patient Satisfaction
- North Carolina
- Middle Aged
- Male
- Humans
- Female
- Child
- Aged
Citation
Published In
DOI
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Location
Related Subject Headings
- Societies, Medical
- Physician-Patient Relations
- Patient Satisfaction
- North Carolina
- Middle Aged
- Male
- Humans
- Female
- Child
- Aged