Female Docs Better Behaved Than Male Counterparts

Researchers from the University of Melbourne suggest that female doctors are better behaved than their male counterparts who are four times more likely to be reprimanded for misconduct. The study, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, found that six in every 10,000 doctors in Australia and New Zealand were pulled up for misconduct.

The researchers analyzed around 485 cases of misconduct among doctors in the two countries during the period between 2000 and 2009.

Nearly a quarter of the cases filed were related to sexual misconduct while more than 21 percent of the cases were cited for unethical or illegal prescribing. The researchers said that the number of misconduct cases show that the tribunals take their role seriously.

“These findings indicate that boards and tribunals interpret their public protection role fairly broadly. They were often prepared to sanction doctors irrespective of whether or not the misconduct had resulted in harm to a patient. What this suggests is that regulators are not sitting back, they are trying to be proactive when professional misconduct poses risks to the community”, lead researcher Katie Elkin.




Source-Medindia