OBJECTIVE: To identify the factors associated with complaints of patients against physicians who work at general hospitals of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (MISS). MATERIAL AND METHODS: All the medical complaint files in a three-year period at the nine general hospitals of Mexico State MISS East District were examined. For each complaint filed, two control files were selected from the same hospital and clinical area. Associations were assessed using odds ratios and logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 130 complaint cases and 260 controls were included. Seven out of 14 risk factors were selected: complications during hospitalization (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.3-5.8), diagnostic error (OR 3.18, 95% CI 1.7-5.6), use of diagnostic tests (OR 3.7, 95% CI 1.2-11.3), insufficient information given by physicians (OR 2.64, 95% CI 1.22-5.7), voluntary hospital discharge (OR 7.2, 95% CI 2.22-23.6), lack of clinical monitoring during hospitalization (OR 19.12, 95% CI 2.25-162.6), and multiple vaginal revisions during labor (OR 5.17, 95% CI 1.5 17.07). Complaints were filed more often when there was a poor patient-physician relationship, deficient monitoring during labor, therapeutic error, and delay in surgery. Statistical significance was not attained. CONCLUSIONS: Complaints against Mexico State MISS hospital physicians were associated with diagnostic technical factors, as well as with the patients' perception of receiving deficient information and care during hospitalization. The English version of this paper is available at: http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html.
OBJECTIVE: To identify the factors associated with complaints of patients against physicians who work at general hospitals of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (MISS). MATERIAL AND METHODS: All the medical complaint files in a three-year period at the nine general hospitals of Mexico State MISS East District were examined. For each complaint filed, two control files were selected from the same hospital and clinical area. Associations were assessed using odds ratios and logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 130 complaint cases and 260 controls were included. Seven out of 14 risk factors were selected: complications during hospitalization (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.3-5.8), diagnostic error (OR 3.18, 95% CI 1.7-5.6), use of diagnostic tests (OR 3.7, 95% CI 1.2-11.3), insufficient information given by physicians (OR 2.64, 95% CI 1.22-5.7), voluntary hospital discharge (OR 7.2, 95% CI 2.22-23.6), lack of clinical monitoring during hospitalization (OR 19.12, 95% CI 2.25-162.6), and multiple vaginal revisions during labor (OR 5.17, 95% CI 1.5 17.07). Complaints were filed more often when there was a poor patient-physician relationship, deficient monitoring during labor, therapeutic error, and delay in surgery. Statistical significance was not attained. CONCLUSIONS: Complaints against Mexico State MISS hospital physicians were associated with diagnostic technical factors, as well as with the patients' perception of receiving deficient information and care during hospitalization. The English version of this paper is available at: http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html.