Complaints about Doctors

In the UK a recent survey has shown that complaints against doctors have risen 23% in the last year, with a large number of complaints about male doctors aged 55 or older.

Has anyone here complained about their doctor or heard about anyone else complaining?

I had an older male doctor and he was friendly, but his methods of treating some of my problems were rather bad and I have changed doctors :/

The usa will soon be going to national health care.

I would be very interested in the type of complaints these were.

Are they a lack of skills, attitude, or something else.

Jhenson16:

'Grievances were mostly about treatment plans and investigation skills, but there was also a large number of objections about effective communication and respect for patients'

The figures,8781 complaints for 2011, are miniscule compared to the total number of consultations.

The suggestion is that patients expectations have increased and that there is now a greater desire to complain. Also self diagnosis via the Internet gives some patients a basis for understanding better any problem they think they might have.

M1943

Under NHS if you don't like the treatment plan what other options are there? The same if you don't like the Dr who is treating you.

Jhenson16:

I suppose you can always change your doctor and see what happens.

As you know, in any profession, there isn't always consensus on what to do.

I don't think that you can draw any specific conclusions from these figures, as each case will be different.

I've never formally complained, but I did voice my displeasure to my GP about a hospital consultant. I didn't raise the issue either, she asked me if I thought he wasn't listening!

At the two appointments I had with the doctor in question he didn't listen to me, didn't read the file and decided to treat one extreme of a condition with two extremes. The extreme he chose to treat was the one that was less frequent and less of a problem when it did occur.

Yes I did complain about a doctor to the state medical board once. I was to see a lung doctor for constant coughing, saw him he did an exam and talked to me and all and said I think it is reflux but I will give you med foe that and asthma but take the reflux meds first and see me again in 3 months. well I got worse so took the asthma med and got worse and called the doctor and he said oh well see me at your next appointment. so before then I was exercising some as it was warmer out and wrote down when I had an attack to show the doctor that I had asthma, well showed him my journal and he never read it or nothing. he was the kind of doctor that said i said it was reflux so that is what it is, i am right and you are wrong. he said since the meds for asthma did not work then you do not have asthma. so 6 months later i saw the doctor again and he said it is reflux and i do not need to see you again. he said stop all your meds and wanted me to exercise more and more even after i told him i can't breathe when i do it. so i wrote him up for it as his action were not justified of course my state said he did nothing wrong but at least i got the word out there that he is a bad doctor. and another doc i had that was bad i just left and left her and found someone else that was better.

I complained to a doctor about the plant's nurse one time. Doesn't help that i don't like needles. Doesn't help that this nurse had a bad reputation for moving the needle around, trying to find the vein. Followed by yellow bruises on people's arms appearing within a day or two later.

So a few days or a week later after I had my blood drawn during Part 1, i went back for Part 2 of the physical with the doctor, & i showed him the bruise on my arm, saying my arm never got like that from drawing blood before, and like if that means anything's wrong, & that it stung or when i got blood drawn it stung, or whatever i said. But i had the physical evidence right there to show him. I didn't want to experience that again next year or whenever. And thankfully she was gone by the next year's annual physical.

You want to know about complaints against doctors in the USA ? If you get called for jury duty, and you go in to be evaluated by lawyers for 3 or 4 potential cases, often at least 2 of those cases are about medical malpractice.

And if word leaks out while you're sitting there waiting about which doctor it is, the potential jurors whip out their gadgets to look up the doctor's history, and sometimes find this is most certainly not that doc's first lawsuit.

I never complained to a board or any official medical agency or whatever. But when in university I was diagnosed by an old lung specialist as having TB. He followed me for about a year and a half prescribing medication and follow-ups. But he was very haughty and dismissive - I was after all a long haired university student then and probably symbolized all that was wrong with society at the time in his eyes. Anyway, after a bronchoscopy went wrong - in my opinion due to an application of atropine which made my heart flutter wildly - he accused me of being a hippy dope fiend. Me, who didn't even smoke or drink ... ha ha.

Anyway, I never saw him again and when some years later I was correctly diagnosed with a (teratoma) tumor and operated on, the attending surgeon and later oncologist took an interest in the misdiagnosis and offhandedly suggested that older pneumologists often had a misplaced preoccupation with TB.

All I have to say is SHAME ON YOU.

Most of you with the exception of Agracier should be ashamed of yourselves and stop crying. Yes I am a nurse and will absolutely take a different side of this but seriously, filing a complaint to the medical board because you have asthma that isn't being treated to your satisfaction, or complaining about a nurse because she moves the needle around in your arm or leaves a bruise? Really? Oh my god!

First of all, drawing blood is a skill, and it isn't necessarily an easy one either. Just because a nurse can't draw blood worth a crap doesn't make her a bad nurse by any means. Probably 70 percent of the time you have blood drawn you will have a bruise after. And yes moving a needle around in your arm isn't the most pleasurable experience but seriously, be a man for crying out loud. Have a baby, pass a kidney stone, or get colitis, then get back to me about pain will ya?

Patients have to remember that not every drug fixes everyone. There is a reason there are 20 different kinds of meds for insomnia, pain, antidepressants, or anxiety. If everyone was the same then we would only need one kind of medication for each problem and the problem would be solved. Many times it's a trial and error system. Sometimes it takes time to figure out which medication or course of treatment will work best.

Patients have this notion that medical professionals should know everything and have all the answers. But you fail to remember that the human body is the most complex system on the planet and we know less about the human body than we do basically anything else. Why do all of you expect to be able to go to a doctor and have them get it right every single time and always the first time. That is unreasonable and childish not to mention really naive thinking. It's completely unrealistic.

I don't even have words for people who complain to medical boards over stupid stupid things. I am absolutely stunned and really don't have enough swear words for some of you. How dare you! If you are not happy with your treatment from one doctor then by all means go to another one, and another and another until you are happy. But that absolutely does NOT give you the right to complain to a medical board.

Doctors are people. Not all of them have the best bed side manner, not all are the best diagnostician, and absolutely NONE of them get it right 100 percent of the time. That doesn't make them bad doctors, that makes them human, and you are one too. And by all means, I will gladly apologize and kiss whoever's ass if you can prove to me that you have never made a mistake at your job.

And now you are going to say, "well at my job lives are not in the balance". Yes you are correct. However a mistake is a mistake. There are times when yes a medical professional needs to be accountable because they were negligent, or they caused a death or a severe issue, but I can promise you, asthma, bruises and the like do not fall into these categories.

I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am of the State of California and the stand they took and are taking in frivolous, unnecessary, and stupid complaints and lawsuits against medical professionals. Do you people even understand that there are already not enough medical professionals out there and because stupid people more and more people are deciding not to be doctors or medical professionals at all? What will happen then? The wait times to see a doctor will reach into months. Already in some places you have to wait weeks to get into your primary. You going to sue them then because you didn't get seen in a timely manner?

We are over worked and under paid. We do the best we can with the amount of patients we have to see day after day after day. If people were allowed to sue us for every stupid thing or every time we left a bruise on your arm or your butt there wouldn't be any of us left. Medical professionals are quitting by the droves and have been for the past 20 years because of knuckle heads like all of you, with the exception of Agracier. People are sue happy and are always looking for the cash cow and to be vindicated. It's no wonder we don't want to do this anymore.

I also have news for you, the state medical board in California and in all states are absolutely doing their jobs. They spend 90 percent of their time investigating stupid crap because any and all complaints have to be investigated, just like when children's protective services are called. They have to wade though all the bull crap that most of you complain about so they can get to the real cases that are worthy of their time, your tax dollars, and resources.

I know everyone thinks that their life is so important, something that happened to them is so bad and worse than everyone else's and that they were wronged so badly that they deserve some sort of justice and or money but really, you are still breathing, no worse for what happened really, so please, get over yourself already, quit being such a whinny steiney and deal with it. Life isn't fair. Acceptance is where your happiness and satisfaction lies.

Mashie

I have to agree with Mashie. I used to contract with a major pharmaceutical company. There was a particular drug that was used in veterinary medicine and human medicine. It came off the same line, same dose, different label. The human drug was dollars per pill versus pennies for the animal drug. The difference? Sheep don't sue for minor side effects.

Humans, especially Americans, want 100% safety and comfort. Guess what - that doesn't exist.

No complaints. I've always had excellent docs.

I try to be an informed consumer of medical services. That doesn't mean I know more than the doc, I don't. But I try to be a precise as possible in discussions with him or her. If I need prescriptions renewed, I do prepared with a printed list. I do my best to help my docs help me. Their time is valuable, so is mine.

I never filed a formal complaint but I did look a cardiologist straight in the eye and told him he was wasting my time. He was a class A jerkoff with poor people skills. I demanded a different doctor.

I'm too non-confrontational to ever file a complain for something small. I would just change doctors.

Same goes for restaurants with poor food/service, pushy car salesmen, etc.

Life's to short to bitch and moan. Just move on......

Jds4med thank you for having my back.

Quincy, I gave you the like. You are the perfect patient. And personally speaking, I greatly appreciate your willingness to help yourself, being an informed patient, and for being prepared and doing your best to help us so we can help you better. You ROCK!

Turkent, I applaud you as well. Doctors are people just like the rest of us. Like the rest of us they to sometimes need a reality check and to be shown that there might be a better way of handling things. Telling him how you feel is what should happen. Calling his board is not. So thank you for standing up for yourself and handling yourself like a real man should and does.

Please remind me the next time I see you three to lay you on your bellies and fill you with about 2 quarts of warm lightly soapy Mashie love, lol.

Mashie

First of all, drawing blood is a skill, and it isn't necessarily an easy one either. Just because a nurse can't draw blood worth a crap doesn't make her a bad nurse by any means. Probably 70 percent of the time you have blood drawn you will have a bruise after. And yes moving a needle around in your arm isn't the most pleasurable experience but seriously, be a man for crying out loud. Have a baby, pass a kidney stone, or get colitis, then get back to me about pain will ya?

Passed a kidney stone in October 1986, so now let's discuss drawing blood.

Drawing blood IS a skill, & no, it's not an easy one. If a nurse can't draw blood worth a crap, it makes her a bad blood drawer, and maybe she should not be doing it until she's learned proper technique. It's understandable to not be perfect and make a mistake here or there, but when many of your colleagues all had the same experience, it's time to take a step back & say "wait a second".

If the 70 % statistic is anywhere near accurate, then kudos to all the nurses & folks in NY for all the other times i've had my blood drawn, because except for that one time, in about a half century, i've pretty much never been left with a bruise.

Some people are just a hard stick and they will be bruised most of the time.

My father in law had difficult veins when he was in the hospital recently. They needed to use ultrasound to find the deeper veins in his arm and finally for some tests where they needed more volume, they simply did radial artery sticks.

I did misspeak on my quote about bruising from a blood draw. I said 70 percent of the time a bruise will happen, I meant to the general public, not meaning that a person who has their blood drawn will have a bruise 70 percent of the time. I mean that if you draw blood from 10 people, about 7 of them will end up with a bruise. It's common, normal.

Mashie

I've never complained or had any complaints about my doctors but a friend of mine did tell me that she didnt feel comfortable going to my gynecologist because he's young looking and she prefers older doctors because it's less awkward for her

she didn't feel comfortable going to my gynecologist because he's young looking and she prefers older doctors because it's less awkward for her

Interesting concern. I tend to think about this: We all start out very young, and every doctor we have to see as kids is considerably older.

Then we start to age & we get in our 20's. At this time, our doctors could still typically be 40's, 50's, 60's.

Somewhere at some point, once we pass like mid 30's, that age gap collapses, and the doctors may start to become the same age, or gasp (lol), younger than us. There's like this unwritten, perhaps unspoken, age & maturation & experience association related to doctors that may have begun in your head when you were little. And then as you get older, that dynamic will begin to change, but change differently based on the individual.

Like for some: older -wiser -wisdom - more experience - better

for others; younger - up to date - new technology - more open minded to new developments - better

and a whole host of other comparisons. And there will be an array of opinions & attitudes about one classification being better than another, again, based on the individual.

Oh my ! Some of the posts on this thread amaze me .

I've never ever put in an official complaint about any dr . Believe me I've had my fair share of little errors by doctors . But aren't we all human and make the odd mistake sometimes ???

I've just come home again yesterday . I was rushed in a week ago today with uro sepsis . Spent until Wednesday in Critcal Care and then went to my normal cubicle on the High Dependency Unit until I came home .

I have a bruise the size of a tennis ball on the side of my left lower arm . A Junior Dr tried desperately to get a blood draw whilst I was seriously dehydrated and couldn't get a vein.

Would I put in a complaint ? Hell no .

He was simply doing his job trying to save my life .

During this stay this particular Junior Dr ( in his final year ) carried out the bulk of my care . Obviously under guidance from the Critical Care Dr , my urologist and Resp dr . Him and I worked together . Yes there were little glitches , but I can honestly say he was outstanding .

Nikki

I have never lodged any type of official or public complaint about any physician that has ever treated me. I doubt I ever would unless there were an egregious breach of ethics or obvious malpractice. I did tell a doctor about a previous "painful" prostate exam that he had conducted on me. For the first time in my life I bled as a result of the simple exam which led to a colonoscopy that was negative. The doctor's rough handling of the procedure was the cause of minor rectal bleeding. The next time I saw him, I told him to be careful this time and that it was very painful last time. My only other comment was a joking "I would have to find a new doctor if the procedure didn't go well." Fortunately, he listed to me, a patient of his for 25 years.

I'm pretty incredulous about the complaints here. I can say with great pride that I've been sued three times. Each time the complaints were frivolous and egregious. Each time my depositions and my malpractice attorneys made short work of them. I've never paid a penny of settlement. I always give my very best. My conscious demands that. I also do not suffer fools gladly.

My dad was sued once. A patient that he referred to a surgeon had an instrument left behind. I can understand suing the nurses responsible for the instrument count, I can even stretch to understand suing the surgeon, but they sued EVERYONE, even people like my dad who weren't in the room. It was a financial field day for the lawyers.

Jds4med, I think I have heard Doc say a time or two that when something like that happens they have to sue everyone associated with the case. Don't quote me on that, but I believe that's the way it is.

Liquid, If you have MD or any other medical initial behind your name chances are you will be sued at some point. It's the cross we bare. I knew a doctor who was sued by a patient who took too much Tylenol or Advil. She never disclosed to that doctor that she was even taking an INSAID, much less was taking way too many daily and over months and months. Then when she ended up in renal failure she sued that doctor. Needless to say, the doctor won. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Mashie

I understand the shotgun lawsuit style, but I believe it's a creation of lawyers who seek to profit any way possible.

Probably, lol. Bastards, lol.

Mashie

I really am sympathetic to the complaints of poor medical service at many levels but much of this is brought on by the patients themselves. People MUST assume responsibility for their own medical well being as they must for all other aspects of their lives. To blame a skilled medical professional for a problem when you have not been forthcoming with your history is just plain irresponsible. Do you really expect them to be mind readers?

What I and my GF have done is to subscribe to a service that provides services from our MD and his staff on a virtually full time basis. We have both gone to him for years when he decided to abandon the rat race and restrict his practice to about 750 patients. This is via a service that manages the program. For this we each pay $1500 per year but in return get 24/7 access to him (we have his home phone, cell phone as well as office phone) and can reach him at any time. He accepts all medical plan payments and has admission privileges at two good local hospitals. We receive a REALLY complete physical yearly (GF is a nurse and can judge these things) as well as backup by a staff who knows us from top to bottom. Yes, this is expensive but the money is well spent on thoughtful medical care rather than "Mac Medicine" that is so common now. Remember folks this is not a dress rehearsal. Give up a frivolous treat or two and treat yourself to the real hg peace of mind that comes from being well looked after. A common name for this kind of care is "Concierge Practice." It can be found by a bit of searching or perhaps contacting your local medical society.

"All I have to say is SHAME ON YOU.

Most of you with the exception of Agracier should be ashamed of yourselves and stop crying. Yes I am a nurse and will absolutely take a different side of this but seriously, filing a complaint to the medical board because you have asthma that isn't being treated to your satisfaction, or complaining about a nurse because she moves the needle around in your arm or leaves a bruise? Really? Oh my god!"

(Mashie - was I married to you once?)

My "bruise" was reconstructive surgery and a miserable recovery, due to flat-out negligence. I did file a formal complaint against a urologist and feel like I did it not only for myself, but for his other patients, trying to head off further injuries. I didn't take this lightly, and he was the only one, but it was completely justified. That IS exactly why the board is there, I believe...

I wonder how many are regretting not dropping the dime on Dr. Jayant Patel ( and Yes, it's all public record so I can name him - google CNN or NY Times for their coverage of his career.) Implicated in dozens of patient deaths in the US; the NY Times outlined how nurses used to actually hide their patients from him, and how he got the nickname "Dr Death". Oregon finally restricted some of his practice; almost no complaints (til near the end of his time in the US) and he was never sanctioned, despite numerous patient deaths directly attributable to him. He went on to Australia where his license was finally yanked and his career ended; nothing of the sort took place here, it's not overstating it to say people died partly as a result of timidness or "professional courtesy."

Don't waste people's time - if the appointments are taking too long or the soup is cold, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. But if it's really serious..."If you see something, Say something..."