background The primary goal of disciplinary law is to enhance medical care by learning from mistakes and taking preventive measures. Disciplinary law affects the individual big (Healthcare Professionals Act) registered professionals. Furthermore, it is about quality control of professional practice.
aim To draw lessons from the individual judgments of disciplinary law for psychiatrists as a group.
method Collecting information from the annual reports of the disciplinary boards and collecting sanctioned individual verdicts on psychiatrists from the Regional and Central Disciplinary Board of Health Care over a period of 5 years.
results Psychiatrists received complaints about their actions relatively more often than other doctors and other big registered professionals. Over a 5-year period, 75 ‘warnings’ and 3 ‘reprimands’ were imposed, and 19 psychiatrists were subject to a work-limiting measure. The incorrect preparation of a report or statement was relatively often a reason for a sanctioned complaint.
conclusion Awareness through the analysis of disciplinary complaints at the psychiatrist’s group level can offer opportunities for preventive measures and improve the quality of care.