Patient Complaints Affect Docs’ Anxiety, Depression Levels

the Psychiatry Advisor take:

Doctors who go through a complaint process or investigation by the General Medical Council (GMC) have an increased risk of exhibiting moderate to severe anxiety, depression, and thoughts of self harm, according to a study from Imperial College London.

The GMC regulates doctors in the United Kingdom and has the power to terminate or limit their right to practice medicine. In 2013, the GMC received 8,500 complaints about doctors, approximately 3,000 of which were investigated. Annually, about 80 doctors are suspended or lose their medical license in the United Kingdom.

The researchers surveyed 7,926 doctors in the United Kingdom. Those who recently had a complaint filed against them were twice as likely to exhibit symptoms of moderate to severe anxiety and twice as likely to have thoughts of self harm compared with those without complaints filed against them.

Among doctors who had their complaints escalated to the GMC, 26% reported moderate to severe depression, and 22% reported severe anxiety.

The complaints process can lead to the practice of defensive medicine in doctors who had undergone the process as well as their colleagues who witnessed it. Among both of these groups, 84% said they overprescribed medications, referred too many patients, or ordered unnecessary tests. Additionally, 46% said they were reluctant to treat complicated patients or perform risky procedures.

Noting the negative effects the complaints process has on both doctors and their patients, the researchers stress the need for a new system that eliminates these detrimental outcomes.