One-third of trainee doctors involved in adverse event

One in three trainee doctor specialists has been involved in an adverse patient event, it has emerged. A survey by the Medical Council also reveals that almost a third of those involved in an adverse event found it difficult to practise afterwards, leading to calls for more support.

One in four trainee specialists left or considered leaving the speciality while more than one in five contemplated leaving medicine altogether. A higher percentage of male trainees (34%) was involved in an adverse event than their female counterparts (27%).

A third of 750 trainee doctors who took part in the survey said they worked 60 hours or more in a typical week. Nearly half (43%) of those working more than 59 hours a week had been directly or indirectly involved in an adverse event, compared with a quarter of those working a 40- to 59-hour week.

Less than half (43%) of the trainee specialists involved in an adverse event believed that confidential support services were available if they needed them. For a majority of trainee specialists (59%), family and friends were the main source of support afterwards.

Just under half of the trainees who indicated they had a mental health issue that would benefit from support were involved in an adverse event. The report also showed that 41% of trainees experienced some form of bullying or harassment, an increase from 34% in 2014 when the first Your Training Counts Report was published.

Trainee specialists who reported being bullied were more likely to be involved in an adverse event (40%) than those who were not bullied (18%). About seven out of 10 who reported being bullied and harassed did not divulge the incident to an authority figure. Of the 31% who did divulge an incident, less than one out of 10 (8.7%) said action was taken.

One positive finding from the 2017 Your Training Counts Report is a 3% year on year decrease in the number of doctors directly or indirectly involved in adverse events. Another finding is that the proportion of trainee specialists wanting to leave Ireland has steadily declined from 21% in 2014 to 14% in 2017.

However, almost two-thirds considered practising medicine abroad because they felt their working hours here were too long. Chief executive of the Medical Council, Bill Prasifka, said while the survey showed improvements in a number of key areas, “concerning trends” on issues such as bullying and long working hours continued.

The Irish Medical Organisation said it was clear that doctors were not being adequately supported after adverse events. The Irish Hospital Consultants Association said the report confirmed that there was a correlation between understaffing, excessive working hours, and adverse patient events.