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[A study of dysfunction in specialists]
1Geneeskundige Inspectie van de Volksgezondheid voor Noord-Holland, Haarlem.
Objective:
To determine the volume of dysfunctioning of medical specialists.
Design:
Descriptive.
Setting:
21 hospitals in the Dutch province of Noord-Holland.
Methods:
After introductory conversations with key figures in this field, the Health Inspection visited 21 hospitals in Noord-Holland. Managers or medical staff had previously returned written questionnaires.
Results:
According to medical staff and management 93 of 2000 specialists had been found to dysfunction, over a period of 5 years. Symptoms of dysfunctioning were lack of social skills, mistakes in medical judgment and inability to work in a team. Authorities complained of a lack of subtle sanction possibilities.
Conclusion:
Hospital boards are inclined to cover up dysfunctioning of specialists in a 'conspiracy of silence'. More effective sanction possibilities are at hand, since the new legislation, although prevention is preferred. Proposals to intensify application procedures and evaluate medical functioning are not followed. Investigating dysfunctioning in other professions, like general practice and dental care is advisable.