Learning from Unfounded Complaints: A Path to Better Neurological Care
Unfounded disciplinary complaints, while seemingly negative, offer valuable insights that can substantially improve the quality of care in neurology.Neurologist Roeland van Leeuwen emphasizes that by analyzing these cases, the medical field can ultimately reduce the number of complaints altogether.
Van Leeuwen and a team of four othre neurologists and A(N)IOSS neurology specialists meticulously examined 202 disciplinary complaints filed against neurologists and A(N)IOSS Neurology between 2010 and 2023. Their findings revealed that a striking 86% of these complaints were ultimately declared unfounded.
The researchers’ analysis, encompassing both founded and unfounded cases, highlights the importance of focusing on challenging diagnoses within neurology. conditions such as brain abscess, sinus thrombosis, cerebral infarctions in young individuals, thin-fiber neuropathy, and brain tumors were frequently associated with diagnostic errors, even if not always leading to disciplinary action. Notably, in half of the unfounded complaints, a “tube vision” (likely referring to a narrow field of vision or a specific diagnostic tool) played a role, potentially linked to misdiagnosis. this underscores the need for increased attention to this aspect, as well as to patient interaction, treatment protocols, and collaboration with radiologists.Van Leeuwen stresses the critical importance of these unfounded complaints: “We have not investigated how this is, but I think that it is often thought that not imposing a measure means that a matter is less captivating to learn from. But that is not the case. These unfounded complaints are extremely crucial,because it is a large percentage of the complaints and it is really about dissatisfied patients. Unfounded only means that the actions were legally not culpable, but something may have gone wrong. So it can be learned.”
The study also points to a considerable number of disciplinary complaints in neurology, with an average of 27 filed annually.While 371 complaints were addressed by disciplinary courts between 2010 and 2023, only 202 statements were published on Tuchtrecht.nl. The researchers express concern over the lack of published decisions from council chamber cases, where no formal session was held, as this omits crucial data regarding the grounds and severity of these complaints.
