Complaints against doctors rise
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EDMONTON — Complaints against Alberta doctors increased by more than one-third last year and questions are being raised about why.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons announced Wednesday that there were 756 complaints by patients in 2009, up from 550 the previous year.
The complaints fall under several categories, and a nine-page report issued by the college offers no specifics.
The largest number of complaints — 277 — fell under procedural issues related to quality of care. There were 175 complaints about the attitude of the doctor in the way he communicated with the patient.
There were also two complaints about doctors violating sexual boundaries, but no specifics.
The college says it can’t pinpoint the reason for the marked increase. But a college official says the best guess is that a shortage of doctors and increased waiting times are to blame.
“We really don’t know the reasons, so all we can do is speculate,” said Dr. Trevor Theman, the registrar of the college. “We’re not seeing a big rise in any particular category, whether it’s access issues or other things.”
