title: Psychologic effects of poor outcome and professional liability actions on physicians.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Little is known about the psychologic effects on obstetricians and gynecologists of adverse maternal or fetal outcome and malpractice claims.
  
  
  METHODS
  An anonymous survey regarding the psychologic effects of professional liability claims, as measured by 19 items which were used to create four composites rated on a 5-point scale, was mailed to the members of the Central Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among respondents, 78% had at least one malpractice claim, and 9% experienced a patient death, 12% a fetal demise, and 21% neonatal neurologic damage. In general, professional liability claims had significant effects on psychologic trauma (P < 0.001), shame/doubt (P < 0.005), and active coping (P < 0.05), but not on job stress, whereas patient death, but not fetal death or neonatal neurologic injury, had significant effects on all 4 composite variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Physicians experience psychologic trauma influenced by patient death and professional liability actions.
authors.affiliation: Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC, USA.
authors.forename: Cecile B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: McAninch
authors.forename: Suneet P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Chauhan
authors.forename: Everett F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Magann
authors.forename: Vidya B
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Chauhan
authors.forename: Jacob A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Morrison
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001293:Attitude to Death; D003625:Data Collection; D006176:Gynecology; D006801:Humans; D008318:Malpractice; D008875:Middle Aged; D009774:Obstetrics; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological