The impact of complaints procedures on the welfare, health and clinical practise of 7926 doctors in the UK: a cross-sectional survey

[PR4NOW]

We often complain about doctors, and rightly so, but I tend to think the main problem is lack of adequate training and inferior standards of treatment, at least in the thyroid world. We have medical systems on both sides of the pond where increasingly both doctors and patients are left dissatisfied with the experience. Here in the US doctors can and do leave the allopathic/insurance model for the cash basis/functional, integrative, holistic model, in hopes of building a more satisfying practice. The UK kind of mirrors this in the NHS versus private doctor split however the private doctors are still licensed by the GMC which leaves them less latitude in how they can practice. We have 'big medicine' here in the US and with the attempts to privatize the NHS you might end up with it in the UK. We need to drastically change the way medicine is practiced on both sides of the pond but that is almost an impossible dream.

This is an article in Medscape that talks about the UK study but it also talks about the problems in the US.

medscape.com/viewarticle/83...

This is a link to the UK study.

bmjopen.bmj.com/content/5/1...

A recent article in Medscape talked about doctor suicide in the US. In one recent year there were 400 doctor suicides in the US. This is absolutely appalling to me, how can we allow this to happen to 400 of our best and brightest, and yes, doctors are some of our best and brightest. How can we allow this kind of system to persist. PR

[Spareribs]

I agree it's appalling.... awhile ago chronic illness & suicide was 16%....

knowledge may be power enough....

[Clutter]

PR4Now, 96 UK doctor suicides are being investigated following GMC complaint procedures being implemented. There appears to be little support for doctors struggling with stress, depression, alcohol/substance abuse and other sickness which inevitably leads to underperformance and error.

A system which doesn't recognise when its own professionals are sick and in need of support and doesn't support them back to health fails doctors and patients alike.

[Reykua]

Thank you so much for this thought provoking post PR4NOW,

As someone with doctors and other medical professionals in my family, I'm constantly in awe of how difficult their work is, as mentioned, the restrictions they often face, the sheer stress of trying to do right by patients and the sometimes insomnia inducing fear of 'getting it wrong' - especially in these days of heightened knowledge, anxiety and the tendency to litigize often without any attempts at discussion, negotiation or mediation.

Even perfect people err, for to err is Human. My cousin says that she's so afraid to make a mistake that she's often accused of being over cautious and conservative in her approach.

[Glynisrose]

And yet it seems that its OK for one doctor to 'shop' another to the GMC for not toeing the line.....

[shaws Administrator]

How awful - 400 suicides in one year in the USA alone. It's unbelievable.