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 23 patients who fried grievances, the 3 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.