New Zealand doctors' attitudes towards the complaints and disciplinary process.
OBJECTIVE
To examine attitudes held by doctors in New Zealand towards the complaints and disciplinary process.


METHODS
A questionnaire was sent to New Zealand doctors randomly selected to include vocationally registered general practitioners, vocationally registered hospital-based specialists, and general registrants.


RESULTS
598 respondents (33.6% having ever and 66.4% having never received a medical complaint) indicated that New Zealand doctors strongly support society's right to complain, having lay input, a sense of completion, and appropriate advice provided to the complaints process. Doctors also support society's notions of rights and responsibilities, and believe that the medical profession is capable of self-regulation. Fifty percent of doctors do not believe that complaints are a useful tool to improve medical practice. Doctor's attitudes diverge about how they believe society interacts with the profession through the complaints process. They are divided in their opinion as to whether complaints are warranted, whether complainants are normal people, and whether complaints are judged by appropriate standards.


CONCLUSIONS
Doctor's attitudes towards the complaints and disciplinary system fall on a continuum between being consistent and divergent. Their attitudes are consistent with notions of professionalism, but suggest that using the complaints system to improve the delivery of medical care may be problematic.
Department of General Practice, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. wayne.cunningham@stonebow.otago.ac.nz
Wayne
W
Cunningham
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D008318:Malpractice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009520:New Zealand; D028701:Patient Rights; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D011364:Professional Practice / Q000592:standards*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires