Complaints filed in the medical ethics court of Antioquia against doctors, why are they sanctioned?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.iatreia.170Keywords:
Jurisprudence , Malpractice , Medical Errors , Medical Ethics , StandardsAbstract
Background: there are few studies regarding complaints presented about physicians, limiting feedback and education, aspects that tend to improve health services and quality of care.
Objective: to characterize the complaints regarding physicians and their consequences. Antioquia. 2008-2013.
Methods: cross-sectional descriptive study. All complaints filed with the Medical Ethics Court of Antioquia, 2008-2013, which had a ruling in the second half of 2018, were reviewed. Characteristics of the personnel involved, event that motivated the complaint, violated regulations and sanction were evaluated.
Results: among 679 doctors involved, 461 complaints were found, 43.4% of them in general practitioners. The main reason for filing a complaint was the poor care received by patients (20.9%), and the main rule by which processes were opened was Law 23 Article 15, which speaks about informed consent (17.3%); being also the most sanctioned (16.2%). Most of doctors involved (58.6%) had the processes archived because the court did not find a basis for the complaint; however, 23 (3.4%) were sanctioned, being serious with suspension from the practice of medicine in 60.8%. Of the remaining, 17.4% had public censorship, 13% private reprimand and 8.7% private written censorship or public verbal censorship.
Conclusions: the omission or poor completion of the informed consent constitutes the main reason for sanction; however, the real trigger that leads to filing a complaint is the perception of poor attention. Continuous ethical education in professional practice is fundamental in reducing lawsuits for malpractice.
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