Vexatious, Misconceived and Avoidable Reports by Peers to Medical Regulators: A Qualitative Study of Health...

The introduction of a mandatory duty to report health practitioners who engage in notifiable conduct has heightened concerns about the potential for notifications to be motivated by rivalry or spite, rather than genuine concern for patient safety. The research discussed in this article explores the views and experiences of health sector professionals in Australia regarding vexatious and misconceived notifications by doctors against other doctors. Interviewees believed most mandatory reports are made on strong grounds with sound motives. Under-reporting was seen as a more significant problem than over-reporting. Three types of inappropriate reports are identified: misconceived reports resulting from a misunderstanding of the reporting thresholds; vexatious reports made with the intention of causing trouble for another practitioner; and avoidable reports where the threshold for reporting need not have been reached if colleagues or employers provided early appropriate support. In light of recent mandatory reporting laws, this article offers recommendations that may assist in supporting appropriate reports and reducing the number of inappropriate reports.