ArticleBMJ open2016
Doctors' experiences and their perception of the most stressful aspects of complaints processes in the UK: an analysis of qualitative survey data.
Article in BMJ open, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 70 citations in OpenAlex.
- Understanding healthcare professionals' responses to patient complaints in secondary and tertiary care in the UK: A systematic review and behavioural analysis using the Theoretical Domains Framework.Health research policy and systems · 2024Pooled it
- The effects of different types of organisational workplace mental health interventions on mental health and wellbeing in healthcare workers: a systematic review.International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2024Pooled it
- How defensive medicine is defined in European medical literature: a systematic review.BMJ open · 2022Pooled it
- Barriers, Facilitators, and Strategies for Sustaining the Hospital-Wide "One Bed" Model in China: A Single-Centre Descriptive Qualitative Study of Healthcare Professionals' Perspectives.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Association of occupational burnout and perceived healthcare service quality with medical disputes among physicians and medical technicians: a cross-sectional study in China.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Less continuity with more complaints: a repeated cross-sectional study of the association between relational continuity of care and patient complaints in English general practice.BMJ quality & safety · 2026Article
- The Iran Healthcare Professionals' Charter of Rights.Archives of Iranian medicine · 2026Article
- From challenge to growth: Exploring physician narratives of patient complaints during residency.Medical education · 2025Review
- Experiences and support needs of psychiatrists under investigation.BJPsych bulletin · 2025Article
- Factors influencing the nature of client complaint behaviour in the aftermath of adverse events.The Veterinary record · 2025Article
- Risks to the clinician of risk management: recalled and anticipated consequences of decision-making.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Using an e-Delphi consensus technique to develop the Stressful Adverse Veterinary Events Support (SAVES) Framework.PloS one · 2025Article
- Licensure Actions Against Psychiatric Clinicians: A Cohort Analysis of National Practitioner Database Reports.Journal of psychiatric practice · 2025Article
- Healthcare Professionals' Responses to Complaints: A Qualitative Interview Study With Patients, Carers and Healthcare Professionals Using the Theoretical Domains Framework and COM-B Model.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2024Article
- Experiences of Physicians Investigated for Professionalism Concerns: a Narrative Review.Journal of general internal medicine · 2024Review
- Policy Options for Reducing Defensive Medicine Behaviors: A Multi-Method Study.Medical journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran · 2024Article
- Dentistry responding in domestic violence and abuse (DRiDVA) feasibility study: a qualitative evaluation of the implementation experiences of dental professionals.BMC oral health · 2023Article
- Medical malpractice in hospitals-how healthcare staff feel.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Pattern and outcomes of medical malpractice cases in Ghana: a systematic content analysis.Ghana medical journal · 2022Article
- Bridging the gap between healthcare professions' regulation and practice: the "lived experience" of community pharmacists in Ireland following regulatory change.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo examine doctors' experiences of complaints, including which aspects are most stressful. We also investigated how doctors felt complaints processes could be improved. DESIGN AND
methodsA qualitative study based on a cross-sectional survey of members of the British Medical Association (BMA). We asked the following: (1) Try to summarise as best as you can your experience of the complaints process and how it made you feel. (2) What were the most stressful aspects of the complaint? (3) What would you improve in the complaints system?
participantsWe sent the survey to 95 636 doctors, and received 10 930 (11.4%) responses. Of these, 6146 had a previous, recent or current complaint and 3417 (31.3%) of these respondents answered questions 1 and 2. We randomly selected 1000 answers for analysis, and included 100 using the saturation principle. Of this cohort, 93 responses for question 3 were available. MAIN
resultsDoctors frequently reported feeling powerless, emotionally distressed, and experiencing negative feelings towards both those managing complaints and the complainants themselves. Many felt unsupported, fearful of the consequences and that the complaint was unfair. The most stressful aspects were the prolonged duration and unpredictability of procedures, managerial incompetence, poor communication and perceiving that processes are biased in favour of complainants. Many reported practising defensively or considering changing career after a complaint, and few found any positive outcomes from complaints investigations. Physicians suggested procedures should be more transparent, competently managed, time limited, and that there should be an open dialogue with complainants and policies for dealing with vexatious complaints. Some felt more support for doctors was needed.
conclusionsComplaints seriously impact on doctors' psychological wellbeing, and are associated with defensive practise. This is not beneficial to patient care. To improve procedures, doctors propose they are simplified, time limited and more transparent.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.