A STUDY ON PHYSICIANS’ ATTITUDES DURING THE RESOLUTION PROCESS OF MEDICAL MALPRACTICE COMPLAINTS

Complaints filed against physicians represent an increasingly debated issue in both the medical and legal fields.In recent years, there has been a marked rise in the number of complaints submitted against healthcare pr ofessionals, which has contributed to a growing interest in the study of this phenomenon.The aim of our research was to explore and understand physicians' attitudes throughout the pr ocess of resolving medical malpractice complaints.Materials and methods: To achieve this objective, we conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews.The participants were lawyers with substantial experience in handling medical malpractice cases.Results: A total of 14 lawyers participated in the study.Thematic analysis of the collected data led to the identification of 9 themes and 21 subthemes.This article focuses on the attitudes displayed by physicians during the malpractice complaint resolution process.According to the lawyers interviewed, physicians generally exhibited a negative attitude during procedures related to malpractice claims.This behavior is attributed to several factors, including the a bsence of a well-structured legal framework and the psychological pressure associated with involvement in judicial proceedings related to professional liability in healthcare.Conclusions: Our findings suggest the need for a mechanism that supports both the patient and the physician, enabling the latter to adopt a more open and constructive approach during profe ssional liability procedures.Such a system could facilitate the resolution of medical malpra ctice complaints in a manner that minimizes the emotional and professional impact on all pa rties involved.