Psychologic effects of poor outcome and professional liability actions on physicians

Little is known about the psychologic effects on obstetricians and gynecologists of adverse maternal or fetal outcome and malpractice claims.

An anonymous survey regarding the psychologic effects of professional liability claims, as measured by 19 items which were used to create four composites rated on a 5-point scale, was mailed to the members of the Central Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Among respondents, 78% had at least one malpractice claim, and 9% experienced a patient death, 12% a fetal demise, and 21% neonatal neurologic damage. In general, professional liability claims had significant effects on psychologic trauma (P < 0.001), shame/doubt (P < 0.005), and active coping (P < 0.05), but not on job stress, whereas patient death, but not fetal death or neonatal neurologic injury, had significant effects on all 4 composite variables.

Physicians experience psychologic trauma influenced by patient death and professional liability actions.