In the last 9 years, there have been more than 600 Canadian medical doctors charged with misconduct in the last 9 years. This according to a study authored by Dr Chaim Bell of St Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.
This represents less than 1% of all Canadian doctors.
The most common violation related to sexual misconduct ( 20% of cases), standard of care issues ( 19%) and unprofessional conduct (16%).
The study found that 51 physicians committed repeat offenses, accounting for nearly 1/5 of all charges.
Removal of a licence is rare, occurring in only 6% of cases.
The study concludes that there needs to be better monitoring of offenders, so they don’t become repeat offenders.
The study also exposes how little standardization there is when it comes to publicly reported disciplinary actions against doctors.
The problem is that complaints against doctors remain confidential unless they lead to a formal disciplinary hearing.
It concludes that there needs to be improved openness and public access to complaints against physicians.
P.S. Can you draw many of the same conclusions in respect to disciplinary actions against veterinarians?
Yes
It is difficult to find public records.
Very few ever lead to removal of a licence.
If the veterinary complaint is ‘settled’ prior to a formal hearing, then there is no public record.
There are veterinarians practicing with repeat offenses, but you as a pet owner may never know. It’s not required to inform the prospective clients. That probably wouldn’t be good for business.
