Handling Ordinary Complaints in Gynecology-Obstetrics: Analysis of French Ordinal Jurisprudence
Introduction: The practice of gynecology-obstetrics exposes practitioners to a high medico-legal risk due to the sensitive nature of the procedures performed. This responsibility can be engaged before ordinal bodies, potentially leading to disciplinary sanctions [1][2]. This study aims to identify recurring situations prone to ethical breaches in gynecology-obstetrics, understand disciplinary procedures, and analyze the decisions rendered, in order to propose recommendations to improve practice.
Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive and analytical retrospective study of 112 disciplinary cases handled by the National Disciplinary Chamber of the French Medical Council between 1993 and 2021. Data were collected from the ordinal jurisprudence platform of the National Council of the French Medical Council [7].
Results: Of the 112 cases analyzed, 82% concerned disputes related to the quality of care, mainly diagnostic errors (42%) and non-compliant care (58%). Complaints were mostly initiated by patients and their beneficiaries (69%). Specialists in gynecology-obstetrics were most often prosecuted (69%). The most frequent sanctions were dismissal of the complaint (33%) and firm suspension (24%).
Discussion: The analysis reveals that ethical breaches in gynecology-obstetrics are mainly related to the quality of care and patient information. Comparison with the annual report of the ordinal jurisdiction shows similar trends [8]. The French and Moroccan codes of medical ethics share common principles, but differences exist, particularly regarding medical research and assisted reproduction [3][9][10]. Recommendations are proposed to reduce breaches, focusing on medical training, disciplinary procedures, and improving the doctor-patient relationship.
Conclusion: This study highlights the ethical challenges in gynecology-obstetrics and underscores the need to improve practice through continuous training, better communication with patients, and increased awareness of ethical obligations.
Keywords: Gynecology-obstetrics, Ordinal complaints, Ethical breaches, Jurisprudence, Quality of care, Patient information.
