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Does physician age influence the likelihood of patient complaints?

Date:
November 30, 2017
Source:
The JAMA Network Journals
Summary:
Older ophthalmologists were less likely than younger colleagues to be associated with patient complaints, a new study has discovered.
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Unsolicited patient complaints (UPCs) are a chance for physicians and health care systems to learn what patients perceive to be wrong in their health care encounter.. Understanding factors associated with complaints might point to ways to improve encounters and patient experiences.

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.


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Materials provided by The JAMA Network Journals. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Cherie A. Fathy, James W. Pichert, Henry Domenico, Sahar Kohanim, Paul Sternberg, William O. Cooper. Association Between Ophthalmologist Age and Unsolicited Patient Complaints. JAMA Ophthalmology, 2017; DOI: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2017.5154

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The JAMA Network Journals. "Does physician age influence the likelihood of patient complaints?." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 30 November 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171130112424.htm>.
The JAMA Network Journals. (2017, November 30). Does physician age influence the likelihood of patient complaints?. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 10, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171130112424.htm
The JAMA Network Journals. "Does physician age influence the likelihood of patient complaints?." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171130112424.htm (accessed October 10, 2024).

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