Does physician age influence the likelihood of patient complaints?

Investigators measured the rate of complaints over time by physician age using patient complaints registered between 2002-2015 in Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Patient Advocacy Reporting System (PARS), a database of complaints and physician specialty data. 1,342 attending ophthalmologists or neuro-ophthalmologists who graduated from medical school before 2010 at 20 U.S. health care organizations participating in PARS were involved in the study. Physicians were divided into five age groups from 31 to older than 70. The study was conducted by William O. Cooper, M.D., M.P.H., Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, and coauthors.

This is an observational study. Because researchers are not intervening for purposes of the study they cannot control natural differences that could explain the study findings.

Results of the study showed that rates of patient complaints seemed to decrease with physician age.

Potentially incomplete data collection at participating health care facilities could be a limitation to the study, say researchers, but the Vanderbilt Center for Patient and Professional Advocacy provides benchmarks and targets for institutions to minimize this possibility.

The study concluded that younger ophthalmologists seemed more likely than older colleagues to be associated with patient complaints. System efforts at clinical education and practice management to address complaints might focus on these ophthalmologist groups.