Complaint classifications of Canadian Medical Protective Association college complaint cases involving residents (not limited to patient care), 2013–2017 (n = 163)
| Classification | No. (%) in complaint* | No. (%) in decision |
|---|---|---|
| HCAT category | ||
| Clinical problem | 106 (65.0) | 36 (22.1) |
| Quality | 96 (58.9) | 32 (19.6) |
| Safety | 44 (27.0) | 24 (14.7) |
| Relationship problem | 95 (58.3) | 66 (40.5) |
| Communication | 63 (38.7) | 47 (28.8) |
| Listening | 11 (6.7) | 8 (4.9) |
| Respect and patient rights | 58 (35.6) | 40 (24.5) |
| Management problem | 5 (3.1) | 5 (3.1) |
| Environment | 1 (0.6) | 3 (1.8) |
| Institutional processes | 5 (3.1) | 3 (1.8) |
| Supplementary category | ||
| Professionalism | 67 (41.1) | 63 (38.7) |
| Physician conduct | 58 (35.6) | 42 (25.8) |
| Deceit or dishonesty | 22 (13.5) | 21 (12.9) |
| Documentation | 10 (6.1) | 23 (14.1) |
| Criminal, ethical and boundary violations | 33 (20.2) | 23 (14.1) |
| Fraud | 9 (5.5) | 9 (5.5) |
| Boundary crossing or violation | 18 (11.0) | 11 (6.7) |
| Other charge or investigation | 13 (8.0) | 8 (4.9) |
| Inappropriate prescribing | 6 (3.7) | 6 (3.7) |
| Academic | 6 (3.7) | 15 (9.2) |
| Failure to ask for help | 1 (0.6) | 5 (3.1) |
| Inadequate supervision | 6 (3.7) | 10 (6.1) |
| Groundless | NA | 63 (38.7) |
Note: HCAT = Health Communication Assessment Tool, NA = not applicable.
↵* There is often more than 1 subcategory of classification in a case (i.e., subcategories will often add up to greater than the total of the category because a resident was found to have a problem with both listening and communication, for example). See Appendix 1, Section 3 (available at www.cmajopen.ca/content/10/1/E35/suppl/DC1) for classification definitions.