Matters arising

Global health
Volume 198 - Issue 5

Risks of complaints and adverse disciplinary findings against international medical graduates in Victoria and Western Australia

Author:  Carlos Zubaran

Med J Aust 2013; 198 (5): 256-257. || doi: 10.5694/mja12.11809
Published online: 18 March 2013
To the Editor: Elkin and colleagues acknowledged that “most [international studies] have found no association” between acquiring a medical degree overseas and being the subject of a complaint; however, their principal findings - which differ from these other studies - require care in interpretation. In the study by Elkin et al, the “clinical specialty was missing” for 75% of registered doctors. Yet, certain medical specialties are ...
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To the Editor: Elkin and colleagues acknowledged that “most [international studies] have found no association” between acquiring a medical degree overseas and being the subject of a complaint;1 however, their principal findings — which differ from these other studies — require care in interpretation.

In the study by Elkin et al, the “clinical specialty was missing” for 75% of registered doctors. Yet, certain medical specialties are associated with a higher risk of attracting complaints. In one US study, surgeons attracted significantly more lawsuits than non-surgeons.2 Therefore, a disproportionate number of complaints involving international medical graduates (IMGs) could have been owing to working in, for instance, surgical specialties.

Further, neither “race” nor ethnicity was examined. In an analysis of 14 314 doctors in the United States, non-white professionals were at significantly greater risk of being disciplined than their white counterparts.3 Similar findings for the United Kingdom have been published.4 The authors of the British study referred to “possible inequalities and unfairness”, including racism, in official procedures involving doctors from ethnic minorities and IMGs. A recent parliamentary inquiry into the registration processes in Australia noted that while “IMGs generally have very strong community support, they do not always receive the same level of support from the institutions and agencies that accredit and register them”.5

Elkin et al analysed data from only two Australian states. The authors of a study conducted in California not only revealed that certain personal characteristics and medical specialties were associated with increased disciplinary action, but also cautioned that those findings could not be extrapolated to the entire country.6

Author

  • Carlos Zubaran1
  • 1. School of Medicine, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, NSW.

Correspondence: zubaran_jr@yahoo.com

Competing interests

No relevant disclosures.

References

View this article on Wiley Online Library

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