Trends in medical healthcare complaints at two Danish orthopedic departments - A descriptive study.

Abstract

Medical healthcare complaints are commonly encountered in orthopedic surgery departments. Consequently, the heads of departments spend considerable amount of time addressing these complaints. Younger doctors report that their concern for receiving medial complaints may create a stressful work environment. This study investigated trends in formal complaints regarding medical treatment at orthopedic departments at Lillebaelt Hospital METHODS: This descriptive study included all formal complaints regarding medical treatment, submitted through the Danish Healthcare Authorities, and received at at two orthopedic departments at Lillebaelt Hospital, Region of Southern Denmark, during 2023. Outcomes were the number of complaints for each medical staff group, elective or acute setting, the reason for the complaint and the distribution of complaints between the two hospitals. 58 formal complaints were registered during the study period, 16 of these involved more than one staff group. 39 (67%) complaints included a consultant and 16 (28%) a resident in training. 42 (72%) patients complained about treatment, five (9%) of behavior, and one (2%) of the examination performed. The complaints were distributed between 22 (38%) from the elective department and 36 (62%) from the traumatology department. Few complaints involved residents and most of these were aimed at more than one staff group, indicating that fear of complaints among younger doctors should be low. The elective department had fewer complaints than the department of traumatology. However, no difference was observed when adjusted for number of patient visits.