Complaints about dental practitioners: an analysis of 6 years of complaints about dentists, dental prosthetists, oral health therapists, dental therapists and dental hygienists in Australia

Thomas, Laura; Tibble, Holly; Too, LS; Hopcraft, Matthew; Bismark, Marie

doi:10.1111/adj.12625

Cited by 26 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…This study dealt with cases of civil dental liability in a single Brazilian court, where all the cases that were included reached their definitive decision, totaling 45 cases. Thomas et al (7) believed that one of the limitations of their study was the fact that 8% of complaints filed with health regulatory agencies had not reached a final decision by the data collection date. As to the size of the sample studied (n = 45), it is compatible with those presented by Castro et al (19), n = 34, Perea-P erez et al (10), n = 63 and Terada et al (9), n = 45.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Thomas et al. believed that one of the limitations of their study was the fact that 8% of complaints filed with health regulatory agencies had not reached a final decision by the data collection date. As to the size of the sample studied ( n = 45), it is compatible with those presented by Castro et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…In a recent study, dentists, among fourteen health professions, accounted for the higher rates of patients’ complaints (56.9 per 1000 dentists) . Although no all complains resulted in lawsuits , several studies show an increasing demand for lawsuits against dentists in the last years .…”

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confidence: 99%

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Analysis of Dental Case Reports in the Context of Court Decisions: Causal Nexus and Aspects of Fault

Loreto¹,

Barros

Rosa

et al. 2019

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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The purpose of expert reports is to support the judge in his decisions, by providing technical information. However, it remains uncertain as to what extent the content of these reports is used, and if they are effectively associated with judicial decisions. The aim of this study was to perform a qualitative analysis of case reports in relation to the judicial decisions rendered in association with these reports, by determining the connection between causal nexus and aspects of fault. The case reports included lawsuits against dentists, issued by the Medical Justice Department of the State Court of Appeals of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, between 2010 and 2013. Comparing the percentage of agreement between case report and judicial decision, causal nexus was 79.9% and fault was 86.7%. The high percentages of agreement found in relation to fault and causal nexus highlight the relevance of expert reports in weighing the judge's decision.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Analysis of Dental Case Reports in the Context of Court Decisions: Causal Nexus and Aspects of Fault

Loreto¹,

Barros

Rosa

et al. 2019

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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“…Nurses and midwives were grouped together because many have dual registration and have similar training pathways. Dentists were separated from other dental practitioners because of differences in the nature and frequency of notifications, 13 whereas 'other health practitioners' were combined because of low numbers and similarity in the nature and frequency of complaints. Health practitioners' ages were grouped by allocating them to 5-year bands based on year of birth (e.g.…”

Section: Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics and predictors of regulatory immediate action imposed on registered health practitioners in Australia: a retrospective cohort study

Bradfield¹,

Bismark²,

Studdert³

et al. 2020

Aust. Health Review

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ObjectiveImmediate action is an emergency power available to Australian health practitioner regulatory boards to protect the public. The aim of this study was to better understand the frequency, determinants and characteristics of immediate action use in Australia. MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study of 11200 health practitioners named in notifications to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) between January 2011 and December 2013. All cases were followed until December 2016 to determine their final outcome. ResultsOf 13939 finalised notifications, 3.7% involved immediate action and 9.7% resulted in restrictive final action. Among notifications where restrictive final action was taken, 79% did not involve prior immediate action. Among notifications where immediate action was taken, 48% did not result in restrictive final action. Compared with notifications from the public, the odds of immediate action were higher for notifications lodged by employers (mandatory notifications OR=21.3, 95% CI 13.7–33.2; non-mandatory notifications OR=10.9, 95% CI 6.7–17.8) and by other health practitioners (mandatory notifications OR=11.6, 95% CI 7.6–17.8). Odds of immediate action were also higher if the notification was regulator-initiated (OR=11.6, 95% CI 7.6–17.8), lodged by an external agency such as the police (OR=11.8, 95% CI 7.7–18.1) or was a self-notification by the health practitioner themselves (OR=9.4, 95% CI 5.5–16.0). The odds of immediate action were higher for notifications about substance abuse (OR=9.9, 95% CI 6.9–14.2) and sexual misconduct (OR=5.3, 95% CI 3.5–8.3) than for notifications about communication and clinical care. ConclusionsHealth practitioner regulatory boards in Australia rarely used immediate action as a regulatory tool, but were more likely to do so in response to mandatory notifications or notifications pertaining to substance abuse or sexual misconduct. What is known about this topicHealth practitioner regulatory boards protect the public from harm and maintain quality and standards of health care. Where the perceived risk to public safety is high, boards may suspend or restrict the practice of health practitioners before an investigation has concluded. What does this paper add?This paper is the first study in Australia, and the largest internationally, to examine the frequency, characteristics and predictors of the use of immediate action by health regulatory boards. Although immediate action is rarely used, it is most commonly employed in response to mandatory notifications or notifications pertaining to substance abuse or sexual misconduct. What are the implications for practitioners?Immediate action is a vital regulatory tool. Failing to immediately sanction a health practitioner may expose the public to preventable harm, whereas imposing immediate action where allegations are unfounded can irreparably damage a health practitioner’s career. We hope that this study will assist boards to balance the interests of the public with those of health practitioners.

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“…In addition to fundamental and suitable education, this issue requires strong evidence in the desired field to support the best treatment choice (2). The behaviors and treatment choices of patients and in turn dentistʼs response have significantly changed according to the increasing improvement of dental knowledge and equipment, increasing access to the internet (3), and high level of legal complaints against dentists (4).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence-Based Dentistry Among Iranian General Dentists and Specialists: A Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Study

Vahabi

Namdari

Vatankhah

et al. 2020

ircmj

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Background: The use of evidence-based dentistry (EBD) as the integration of investigations and clinical decisions has been a focus of attention in recent years. Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of EBD among Iranian dentists in 2019. Methods: A total of 140 self-administered questionnaires with 57 items were distributed among dentists in the 2019 exhibition of Iranian dentists. Moreover, 60 self- administered questionnaires were sent to five different dentistry schools in Iran. The analyses were carried out using the Chi-square test, independent samples t-test, and Pearson correlation. Results: A total of 119 fully-responded self-administered questionnaires were analyzed in this study. The dentists attending EBD workshops obtained significantly higher scores of knowledge. The Cochrane Library, manufacturer’s brochures, and evidence-based guidelines were used the least for clinical decisions. Consultation with colleagues, use of textbooks, and personal judgment were mostly utilized for clinical decisions. In addition, 93.3% of the participants stated sensible uncertainties in their clinical decisions. The most important barriers to EBD were the need for long discussions with patients, lack of skills in the critical appraisal of articles, and lack of motivation in dentists with the incidence rates of 62.2%, 62.2%, and 39.5%, respectively. Conclusions: Due to the low levels of EBD knowledge among Iranian dentists, it is recommended to give further close attention to increasing the knowledge in this regard. However, their high enthusiasm for participation in EBD workshops and enhancement of EBD skills is promising.

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Complaints about dental practitioners: an analysis of 6 years of complaints about dentists, dental prosthetists, oral health therapists, dental therapists and dental hygienists in Australia

Abstract: Improved understanding of patterns may assist regulatory boards and professional associations to ensure competent practice and protect patient safety.

Cited by 26 publications

References 18 publications

Analysis of Dental Case Reports in the Context of Court Decisions: Causal Nexus and Aspects of Fault

Analysis of Dental Case Reports in the Context of Court Decisions: Causal Nexus and Aspects of Fault

Characteristics and predictors of regulatory immediate action imposed on registered health practitioners in Australia: a retrospective cohort study

Evidence-Based Dentistry Among Iranian General Dentists and Specialists: A Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Study

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