Plastic surgery professional misconduct: a cross-sectional study on cases between 2008 and 2017, filed before the Sao Paulo State Medical Board

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2021

Authors

Mariani, PC (Author) Other; Constantino, CF (Author) Other; Rui Nunes (Author) FMUP

Journal

Title: Sao Paulo Medical Journal

Vol. 139

Pages: 635-642

ISSN: 1516-3180

Publisher: Associação Paulista de Medicina

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 0 Citations

Scopus - 0 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00V-VQ4

DOI: 10.1590/1516-3180.2020.0747.r1.22042021

Abstract (EN): BACKGROUND: In plastic surgery, a lack of ethical and moral behavior by professionals can result in unfortunate circumstances and can justify ethical-disciplinary procedures. OBJECTIVE: To review 421 plastic surgery professional-misconduct cases filed before the Sao Paulo State Medical Board (CREMESP) between 2008 and 2017. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study conducted in a medical council. METHODS: The cases were categorized according to sex, age, medical specialty (plastic surgery, other field or none), medical ethics code chapter(s) involved, ethics code articles violated and board ruling/outcome. RESULTS: Most of the defendants were men over 40 years of age who were experienced in their professional practice and who graduated from public and private universities all over Brazil; 47.74% had a specialist title in plastic surgery. Violation of professional responsibility (medical malpractice, recklessness or negligence) was the commonest complaint (28.43%), followed by medical advertising (24.19%) and poor doctor-patient relationship (10.39%), in violation of articles 18, 51, 75 and 1. Among the 233 cases adjudicated over this period, 133 resulted in disciplinary sanction, 80 were ruled in the physician's favor and 20 were dismissed. CONCLUSION: Classification of plastic surgery professional-misconduct cases creates possibilities for adopting preventive measures for good practice in this specialty, which would consequently reduce the number of complaints to the regional medical boards.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 8