title: Complaints against doctors in an accident and emergency department: a 10-year analysis.
abstract: We carried out an analysis of complaints against doctors in our Accident and Emergency Department received from 1 January 1979 to 31 December 1988. There were 66 complainants in all, comprising 37 relatives, 21 patients and eight persons acting in a professional capacity. The majority of complaints (80 out of 125) were about poor communication and dissatisfaction with diagnosis and treatment. A small number of complainants had unrealistic expectations of the Accident and Emergency service. A total of 83.3% of complaints were against Senior House Officers who saw 61.3% of all patients. We concluded that an improvement in the communicative, diagnostic and therapeutic skills of doctors would minimize justified complaints.
authors.affiliation: Accident and Emergency Department, Countess of Chester Hospital, Chester.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Kadzombe
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Coals
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008318:Malpractice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010820:Physicians; D013997:Time Factors