Complaints against doctors are on the rise. More and more patients are reporting claims in 2016, which increased by 8.7% compared to the previous year. This is the observation made by the annual report on the risk of health professionals published Tuesday, October 10 by the Mutual insurance of the French health body (MACSF).
The first targets of these complaints are general practitioners, who are also the specialty most represented by the MACSF. What do we most often reproach GPs for? The lack of information and the lack of follow-up are the main grievances, pointing out France Inter.
Medical specialties are not to be outdone: neurosurgeons are the most targeted by complaints, specifies the MACSF, the leading medical insurer in France.
A few figures revealed by the report illustrate the problem. In total 391 civil and criminal court decisionswere pronounced in 2016. These involved 667 healthcare professionals and/or healthcare establishments (including 465 doctors and 200 healthcare establishments).
Sentencing on the rise
Looking closely at the 374 civil court decisions handed down in 2016, we see that they resulted in 66% convictions. An increasing rate. A figure up from 2015 when there were 55% convictions. A development symptomatic of an increase in convictions of health professionals and compensation for victims.
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