title: The impact of the Cartwright Report upon the regulation, discipline and accountability of medical practitioners in New Zealand.
abstract: The Cartwright Report instigated a profound change in thinking about patient-doctor relationships and the need for public involvement in the processes by which doctors are censored. It was also the key catalyst to legislative reforms designed to ensure the accountability of practitioners to their patients. This article considers the effect of the Cartwright Report on the incidence of disciplinary hearings against medical practitioners in New Zealand. Perhaps contrary to expectations, the statistics show a pronounced decline in disciplinary hearings. The authors argue that this should not necessarily be considered an adverse development, and that these statistics in fact reflect the working of multi-layered, more constructive and open processes for regulating doctors and holding them accountable.
authors.affiliation: Victoria University Faculty of Law.
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D004647:Employee Discipline / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D009520:New Zealand; D010820:Physicians / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012941:Social Responsibility