Explaining medical disputes in Chinese public hospitals: the doctor-patient relationship and its implications for health policy reforms

Analysis of the characteristics, efficiency, and influencing factors of third-party mediation mechanisms for resolving medical disputes in public hospitals in China

BACKGROUND

Medical disputes, which are prevalent in China, are a growing global public health problem. The Chinese government has proposed third-party mediation (TPM) to resolve this issue. However, the characteristics, efficiency, and influencing factors of TPM in resolving medical disputes in public hospitals in China have yet to be determined.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic study using TPM records from medical disputes in Gansu Province in China from 2014 to 2019. A χ2 test was used to compare differences between groups, and binary logistic analysis was performed to determine the factors influencing the choice of TPM for resolving medical disputes.

RESULTS

We analyzed 5,948 TPM records of medical disputes in Gansu Province in China. The number of medical disputes and the amount of compensation awarded in public hospitals in the Gansu Province increased annually from 2014 to 2019, with most of the disputes occurring in secondary and tertiary hospitals. Approximately 89.01% of the medical disputes were handled by TPM; the average compensation amount with TPM was Chinese Yuan (CNY) 48,688.73, significantly less than that awarded via court judgment and judicial mediation. TPM was more likely to succeed in settling medical disputes in the < CNY10,000 compensation group than in the no-compensation group (odds ratio [OR] = 3.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.53-6.45). However, as the compensation amount increased, the likelihood of choosing TPM decreased significantly. Moreover, TPM was less likely to be chosen when medical disputes did not involve death (OR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.36-0.45) or when no-fault liability was determined (vs. medical accidents; OR = 0.37, 95% CI 0.20-0.67).

CONCLUSION

Our findings demonstrate that TPM mechanisms play a positive role in efficiently reducing compensation amounts and increasing medical dispute resolution rates which was the main settlement method in resolving medical disputes in public hospitals of Gansu Province in China. TPM could help greatly reduce conflicts between doctors and patients, avoid litigation, and save time and costs for both parties. Moreover, compensation amounts, non-fatal outcomes, and no-fault liability determinations influence the choice of TPM for settling medical disputes.

Risk management and empirical study of the doctor-patient relationship: based on 1790 litigation cases of medical damage liability disputes in China

BACKGROUND

Compensation for medical damage liability disputes (CMDLD) seriously hinders the healthy development of hospitals and undermines the harmony of the doctor-patient relationships (DPR). Risk management in the DPR has become an urgent issue of the day. The study aims to provide a comprehensive description of CMDLD in China and explore its influencing factors, and make corresponding recommendations for the management of risks in the DPR.

METHODS

This study extracted data from the China Judgment Online - the official judicial search website with the most comprehensive coverage. Statistical analysis of 1,790 litigation cases of medical damage liability disputes (COMDLD) available from 2015 to 2021.

RESULTS

COMDLD generally tended to increase with the year and was unevenly distributed by regions; the compensation rate was 52.46%, the median compensation was 134,900 yuan and the maximum was 2,234,666 yuan; the results of the single factor analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences between the compensation for different years, regions, treatment attributes, and trial procedures (P < 0.05); the correlation analysis showed that types of hospitals were significantly negatively associated with regions (R=-0.082, P < 0.05); trial procedures were significantly negatively correlated with years (R=-0.484, P < 0.001); compensat- ion was significantly positively correlated with years, regions, and treatment attributes (R = 0.098-0.294, P < 0.001) and negatively correlated with trial procedures (R=-0.090, P < 0.01); regression analysis showed that years, treatment attributes, and regions were the main factors affecting the CMDLD (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Years, regions, treatment attributes, and trial procedures affect the outcome of CMDLD. This paper further puts forward relevant suggestions and countermeasures for the governance of doctor-patient risks based on the empirical results. Including rational allocation of medical resources to narrow the differences between regions; promoting the expansion and sinking of high-quality resources to improve the level of medical services in hospitals at all levels; and developing a third-party negotiation mechanism for medical disputes to reduce the cost of medical litigation.

Bibliometric and visualization analysis of risk management in the doctor-patient relationship: A systematic quantitative literature review

OBJECTIVES

This paper analyzed the research on risk management in the doctor-patient relationship (DPR) based on a systematic quantitative literature review approach using bibliometric software. It aims to uncover potential information about current research and predict future research hotspots and trends.

METHODS

We conducted a comprehensive search for relevant publications in the Scopus database and the Web of Science Core Collection database from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2023. We analyzed the data using CiteSpace 6.2.R2 and VOSviewer 1.6.19 software to examine the annual number of publications, countries/regions, journals, citations, authors, and keywords in the field.

RESULTS

A total of 553 articles and reviews that met the criteria were included in this study. There is an overall upward trend in the number of publications issued; in terms of countries/regions, the United States and the United Kingdom are the largest contributors; Patient Education and Counseling is the most productive journal (17); Physician communication and patient adherence to treatment: a meta-analysis is the most cited article (1637); the field has not yet to form a stable and obvious core team; the analysis of high-frequency keywords revealed four main research directions: the causes of DPR risks, coping strategies, measurement tools, and research related to people prone to doctor-patient risk characteristics; the causes of DPR risks, coping strategies, measurement tools, and research related to people prone to doctor-patient risk characteristics; the keyword burst analysis revealed several shifts in the research hotspots for risk management in the DPR, suggesting that chronic disease management, is a future research direction for the continued development of risk management in the DPR.

CONCLUSIONS

The visualization analysis of risk management literature in the DPR using CiteSpace and VOSviewer software provides insights into the current research status and highlights future research directions.

Turnover behavior and intention among dentists and medical doctors: a cross-sectional study in China

BACKGROUND

Retention of doctors is a global challenge and doctors working in different departments may face different problems. The study aimed to explore the turnover behavior and intention and correlated factors among Chinese dentists and medical doctors in other clinical fields.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted online in 5 regions of China from March 12th to April 12th, 2020. The questionnaire included 3 parts, socio-demographic characteristics, turnover behavior and intention, and concerns about work-related factors. Chi-square test and/or Wilcoxon Mann-Whitney test were applied for comparison, and binary logistic regression was used for finding the factors.

RESULTS

A total of 2428 eligible questionnaire were received, comprising 1954 responses from dentists and 474 from medical doctors. Rates of turnover behavior among dentists and medical doctors were 2.87% and 6.96%, respectively. Similarly, rates of turnover intention were 51.79% among dentists and 71.20% among medical doctors. Educational level was negatively correlated with turnover behavior of both medical doctors and dentists, and concern about salary was a unique negatively correlated factor for dentists. Age was negatively correlated with turnover intention in both medical doctors and dentists. Conversely, concerns about workload and doctor-patient relationship were positively correlated with turnover intention in both groups. Concern about salary was the distinct correlated factor of medical doctors' turnover intention, while gender and annual household income were correlated with turnover intention among dentists.

CONCLUSIONS

Low turnover rate but high turnover intention rate was the current status of Chinese doctors' employment. Turnover behavior and intention were more optimistic among dentists than medical doctors. Factors related to turnover behavior and turnover intention were not identical among dentists and medical doctors. Therefore, personalized retention measures were necessary for dentists and medical doctors.

Perceived stress and psychological disorders in healthcare professionals: a multiple chain mediating model of effort-reward imbalance and resilience

Background

Healthcare professionals have shown more psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression due to the nature of work, which can cause job burnout, decrease the quality of medical services, and even endanger medical safety. The aim of the study is to explore the serial multiple mediating role of effort- reward imbalance and resilience between perceived stress and psychological disorders among healthcare professionals.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in China from February to April 2023. A total of 2098 healthcare professionals at a tertiary general hospital was investigated by the following self-reported questionnaires: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), The Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI), Healthcare professionals Resilience Scale (MSRS).

Results

Anxiety and depression are interrelated (r = 0.362, p < 0.01), and they were positively related to perceived stress (r = 0.640/0.607, p < 0.01) and ERI (r = 0.422/0.383, p < 0.01), and negatively related to resilience (r = -0.343/-0.320, p < 0.01). After controlling demographic factors, the variance in anxiety and depression was explained by perceived stress was 37.7 and 35.0%. Bootstrap analyses examining the pathway of perceived stress-ERI-resilience-anxiety revealed significant direct effects [B = 0.560, 95%CI (0.528, 0.591)], as well as indirect effects mediated independently by ERI [B = 0.045, 95%CI (0.029, 0.060)], resilience [B = 0.031, 95%CI (0.017, 0.047)], or a combination of both [B = 0.004, 95%CI (0.002, 0.007)]. Similarly, in the path of perceived stress-ERI-resilience-anxiety-depression, significant direct effects were found [B = -0.310, 95%CI(0.265, 0.351)], along with indirect effects mediated individually by ERI [B = 0.033, 95%CI(0.013, 0.052)], resilience [B = 0.014, 95%CI (0.001, 0.028)], and anxiety [B = 0.218, 95%CI (0.190, 0.246)], or by both or three together (B = 0.032).

Conclusion

This study proved the hypothesis that ERI and resilience played a mediating role in perceived stress and psychological disorders, revealed the potential mechanism of anxiety in stress and depression, and proposed a solution for perceived stress to psychological distress, which can provide a basis for the intervention of healthcare professionals in the face of mental health crisis.

The association between abusive behaviour and physician-patient relations: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review aims to explore the association between abusive behaviour and physician-patient relations in healthcare settings.

STUDY DESIGN

Systematic review.

METHODS

We searched for related studies on databases such as PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane library, without restrictions on language, from inception until July 15, 2022. The risk of bias and the methodological quality was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and Risk of Bias in Non-randomised Studies of Interventions tool.

RESULTS

Ten studies were included in this systematic review, the participants of which were physicians and patients. The research from all the studies highlighted the detrimental effects of abusive behaviour on the relationship between physicians and patients, regardless of who the abusers were.

CONCLUSIONS

Abusive behaviour in a clinical setting has a negative influence on the physician-patient relationship, whoever the perpetrator might be. The research sheds light on the importance of teaching communication skills to physicians and training them to manage conflicts and aggressive behaviours in healthcare settings.

Prediction of Medical Disputes Between Health Care Workers and Patients in Terms of Hospital Legal Construction Using Machine Learning Techniques: Externally Validated Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Medical disputes are a global public health issue that is receiving increasing attention. However, studies investigating the relationship between hospital legal construction and medical disputes are scarce. The development of a multicenter model incorporating machine learning (ML) techniques for the individualized prediction of medical disputes would be beneficial for medical workers.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to identify predictors related to medical disputes from the perspective of hospital legal construction and the use of ML techniques to build models for predicting the risk of medical disputes.

METHODS

This study enrolled 38,053 medical workers from 130 tertiary hospitals in Hunan province, China. The participants were randomly divided into a training cohort (34,286/38,053, 90.1%) and an internal validation cohort (3767/38,053, 9.9%). Medical workers from 87 tertiary hospitals in Beijing were included in an external validation cohort (26,285/26,285, 100%). This study used logistic regression and 5 ML techniques: decision tree, random forest, support vector machine, gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT), and deep neural network. In total, 12 metrics, including discrimination and calibration, were used for performance evaluation. A scoring system was developed to select the optimal model. Shapley additive explanations was used to generate the importance coefficients for characteristics. To promote the clinical practice of our proposed optimal model, reclassification of patients was performed, and a web-based app for medical dispute prediction was created, which can be easily accessed by the public.

RESULTS

Medical disputes occurred among 46.06% (17,527/38,053) of the medical workers in Hunan province, China. Among the 26 clinical characteristics, multivariate analysis demonstrated that 18 characteristics were significantly associated with medical disputes, and these characteristics were used for ML model development. Among the ML techniques, GBDT was identified as the optimal model, demonstrating the lowest Brier score (0.205), highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (0.738, 95% CI 0.722-0.754), and the largest discrimination slope (0.172) and Youden index (1.355). In addition, it achieved the highest metrics score (63 points), followed by deep neural network (46 points) and random forest (45 points), in the internal validation set. In the external validation set, GBDT still performed comparably, achieving the second highest metrics score (52 points). The high-risk group had more than twice the odds of experiencing medical disputes compared with the low-risk group.

CONCLUSIONS

We established a prediction model to stratify medical workers into different risk groups for encountering medical disputes. Among the 5 ML models, GBDT demonstrated the optimal comprehensive performance and was used to construct the web-based app. Our proposed model can serve as a useful tool for identifying medical workers at high risk of medical disputes. We believe that preventive strategies should be implemented for the high-risk group.

Understanding workplace violence against medical staff in China: a retrospective review of publicly available reports

BACKGROUND

Workplace violence against medical staff in China is a widespread problem that has negative impacts on medical service delivery. The study aimed to contribute to the prevention of workplace violence against medical staff in China by identifying patterns of workplace violence, key risk factors, and the interplay of risk factors that result in workplace violence.

METHODS

Ninety-seven publicly reported Chinese healthcare violent incidents from late 2013 to 2017 were retrospectively collected from the internet and analysed using content analysis. A modified socio-ecological model guided analysis of the violent incidents focusing on risk.

RESULTS

Physical violence, yinao, or a combination of physical and verbal violence were the typical forms of violence reported. The findings identified risk at all levels. Individual level risk factors included service users' unreasonable expectations, limited health literacy, mistrust towards medical staff, and inadequacy of medical staff's communication during the medical encounter. Organisational level risk factors under the purview of hospital management included problems with job design and service provision system, inadequacies with environmental design, security measures, and violence response mechanisms within hospitals. Societal level risk factors included lack of established medical dispute-handling mechanisms, problems in legislation, lack of trust and basic health literacy among service users. Situational level risks were contingent on risk factors on the other levels: individual, organisational, and societal.

CONCLUSIONS

Interventions at individual, situational, organisational, and societal levels are needed to systematically address workplace violence against medical staff in China. Specifically, improving health literacy can empower patients, increase trust in medical staff and lead to more positive user experiences. Organizational-level interventions include improving human resource management and service delivery systems, as well as providing training on de-escalation and violence response for medical staff. Addressing risks at the societal level through legislative changes and health reforms is also necessary to ensure medical staff safety and improve medical care in China.

The Role of Subjective Wellbeing in Mediating Social Trust to the Mental Health of Health Workers

Mental health problems of health workers are attracting increasing concerns in China and the world. A trustful relationship between health workers and patients is the foundation of quality patient care, which is currently under serious threat. This study aimed to determine the associations of social trust on subjective wellbeing and mental health of health workers. Using the survey data of 262 health workers extracted from the 2018 Chinese Family Panel Studies, a structural equation model with partial least square approach was established. The results showed that social trust was linked to both subjective wellbeing (β = 0.251, p < 0.01) and mental health (β = -0.210, p < 0.01). The effect of social trust on mental health was partially mediated by subjective wellbeing (51.87%). The association between social trust and subjective wellbeing was moderated by socioeconomic status: social trust has a stronger effect on subjective wellbeing in those with higher socioeconomic status. Erosion of social trust may present a serious risk to mental health and subjective wellbeing of health workers. High socioeconomic status can amplify the effect of social trust.

The Mediation Effect of Perceived Attitudes toward Medical Service on the Association between Public Satisfaction with the Overall Medical Service and Self-Rated Health among the General Population in China: A Cross-Sectional Study

This study aimed to examine the association between public satisfaction with the overall medical service and individuals' self-rated health among 18,852 Chinese adults aged 16-60 years by using data from the 2018 China Family Panel Studies. We further test whether such an association is mediated by perceived attitudes toward the medical service. The logistic regression model is used to explore the association between public satisfaction with the overall medical service and individuals' self-rated health (SRH) outcomes. Mediation analysis was conducted by using the Karlson-Holm-Breen (KHB) method. We found that public satisfaction with the overall medical service was associated with good SRH. Additional results indicated that the association between public satisfaction with the overall medical service and SRH was significantly mediated by perceived attitudes toward the medical service. The degree of mediation is much larger for individuals' satisfaction with the level of medical expertise than for trusting in doctors, attitudes toward medical service problems, and the attitude toward the level of the hospital. Targeted medical policy interventions are designed to promote individuals' perceived attitudes toward the medical service, which might help to improve individuals' health benefits.

Burnout syndrome, doctor-patient relationship and family support of pediatric medical staff during a COVID-19 Local outbreak in Shanghai China: A cross-sectional survey study

OBJECTIVES

To explore burnout syndrome (BOS) incidence, doctor-patient relationship, and family support on pediatric medical staff in Shanghai comprehensive hospitals during a COVID-19 local outbreak.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey of pediatric medical staff from 7 comprehensive hospitals across Shanghai was conducted from March to July 2022. The survey included BOS, doctor-patient relationships, family support, and the related factors of COVID-19. The T-test, variance, the LSD-t test, Pearson's r correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analyses examined the data.

RESULTS

Using Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), 81.67% of pediatric medical staff had moderate BOS, and 13.75% were severe. The difficult doctor-patient relationship was positively correlated with emotional exhaustion(EE), cynicism(Cy), and negatively with personal accomplishment(PA). When medical staff need help, the greater the support provided by the family, the lower the EE and CY, and the higher the PA.

CONCLUSION

"In our study, the pediatric medical staff in Shanghai comprehensive hospitals had significant BOS during a COVID-19 local outbreak." We provided the potential steps that can be taken to reduce the increasing rate of BOS in pandemics. These measures include increased job satisfaction, psychological support, maintaining good health, increased salary, lower intent to leave the profession, regularly carrying out COVID-19 prevention training, improving doctor-patient relations, and strengthening family support.

Fostering guardians for frontline medical disputes: a government-led medical dispute mediator training program in Taiwan

BACKGROUND

Mediation is increasingly used for medical dispute resolution, and the particularity of such mediation necessitates specialized training. In response to the promotion of compulsory mediation ahead of a legislation in Taiwan, we invited experts with an interdisciplinary team to design a case-based mediator training workshop. Our study aimed to investigate the learning outcomes of trainees and analyze their perspectives.

METHODS

We recruited 129 trainees of a non-probability convenience sample who served as mediators or have dealt with medical dispute-related cases to undergo 2.5 h of lectures (introduction; procedure; roles of two mediators; principles and techniques of mediation; dispute arrangement; and issue analysis) and 1.5 h of case-based exercises. An after-class survey was conducted using a 4-point Likert-type scale to evaluate trainees' viewpoints and learning outcomes. A total of 104 questionnaires were collected (response rate: 80.6%).

RESULTS

The professions of the participants were medical (56%), law (16%), and administration and others (28%). Males considered the course more helpful (3.79 vs. 3.63, p = 0.053) and more important (3.88 vs. 3.74, p = 0.042) than did females. Participants with a legal background scored the highest in helpfulness (3.84), followed by medical (3.74) and administrative (3.63) professionals. Medical and administrative professionals scored the highest (3.85) and lowest (3.76), respectively, on importance. Respondents with more than 10 years (3.81) and less than 1 year (3.79) of experience produced higher scores in helpfulness. Respondents with 1-5 years of experience (3.68) were found to be less likely to agree with the practical importance of course content compared with other groups of trainees. Administrative professionals obtained the highest scores (89.68) in written examinations.

CONCLUSIONS

There are variations in mediators' perspectives based on gender, occupation, and work experience. Our nationwide mediation training workshop can be utilized to cultivate capabilities of mediators for handling medical disputes to achieve the goal of non-litigation in medical disputes.

Seeking policy solutions in a complex system: experimentalist governance in China's healthcare reform

The proliferation of "wicked" policy problems in complex systems requires an experimental approach of problem-solving. Experimentalist governance offers a conducive framework through which to seek policy solutions amidst high levels of complexity in a multilevel governance structure. This study conceptualizes four distinctive experimental modalities based on varying levels of technical complexity and interest complexity, both of which represent salient constraints for policy reforms in a complex system, the health sector in particular. Trail-blazing pilots, crowdsourcing pilots, managed pilots, and road-testing pilots are all associated with distinct mechanisms of experimentation in a multilevel governance structure. Through four illustrative cases from China's massive experimental program of public hospital reform, this study demonstrates how experimentalist governance seeks policy solutions in the health sector. Should governance arrangements, policy capacity, pragmatism, and informational devices become aligned in a conducive way, experimentalist governance can play an instrumental role in seeking solutions for difficult problems in a complex policy system. A governance structure capable of policy learning and adaptive management is the key.

Quality of working life of medical doctors and associated risk factors: a cross-sectional survey in public hospitals in China

OBJECTIVES

To assess the quality of working life (QWL) of medical doctors and associated risk factors.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

A cross-sectional questionnaire survey of 2915 medical doctors from 48 hospitals was conducted in China.

METHODS

The QWL-7-32 scale was adopted to assess seven domains of QWL: physical health, mental health, job and career satisfaction, work passion and initiative, professional pride, professional competence, and balance between work and family.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

Data were analysed using SPSS V.19.0. Analysis of variance tests and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to identify the sociodemographic characteristics and job factors associated with overall QWL and its seven subdomain scores.

RESULTS

On average, the respondents reported an overall QWL score of 92.51 (SD=17.74) of a possible 160. Over 35% of respondents reported more than 60 hours of weekly working time; 59.9% experienced night sleep deprivation frequently; 16.6% encountered workplace violence frequently. The multivariate regression models revealed that the eastern region (β≤-2.887 for non-eastern regions, p<0.001), shorter working hours (β≤-2.638 for over 40 hours a week, p<0.01), less frequent night sleep deprivation (β≤-5.366 for sometimes or frequent, p<0.001), higher income (β≥2.795 for lower income, p<0.001) and less frequent encounters of workplace violence (β≤-9.267 for sometimes or frequent, p<0.001) were significant predictors of higher QWL. Night sleep deprivation and workplace violence were common predictors (p<0.05) for all seven domains of QWL.

CONCLUSION

The low QWL of medical doctors working in public hospitals in China is evident, which is associated with high workloads, low rewards and workplace violence. There are also significant regional differences in the QWL of medical doctors, with the eastern developed region featuring better QWL. Public hospitals in China are facing serious challenges in occupational health and safety, which needs to be addressed through a systems approach.

Communication Skills (CS) training of physicians in China and its role in actual challenges of patient-physician relationship: a cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND

The Chinese healthcare system is affected by frequent disputes between physicians and patients. Although recent reforms have contributed towards improving the patient-physician relationship, distrust in physicians is still high. Communication skills (CS) training of physicians holds the key to improving patient confidence and diffusing stressful situations. This survey reports on the status of CS training in medical education in China, and the experiences and attitudes of physicians towards CS training.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted at medical institutions across China. A questionnaire developed for this study included the status of CS training, current aspects of patient-physician relationships, perceived own CS and patient-centeredness with Likert-scaled items from 1 (most negative) to 6 (most positive). Physicians' attitude towards CS training was measured with the Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS) and its subscales PAS (Positive Attitude Scale) and NAS (Negative Attitude Scale). Data were analyzed descriptively and for group differences between the hospital level and operating vs. non-operating physicians. Binary logistic regression analysis was done to find associations explaining the occurrence of verbal and physical attacks and the role of CS attitudes.

RESULTS

Out of 1080 questionnaires, 772 physicians met inclusion criteria. A total of 466/772 participants (60.4%) had received at least one CS training during their career. The participants rated the current situation related to patient-physician relationship in China as highly stressful (mean = 4.52, SD = 1.26, 95% CI: 4.43-4.60), experiencing verbal attacks in the past three years once a year in 372/772 cases (48.2%) and physical attacks 111/772 times (14.4%). The mean PAS was 62.96 (SD = 7.63, 95% CI: 62.41-63.47). Being female was associated with increased risk of verbal attacks (OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.01-2.25) while working in a tertiary hospital and showing high levels of PAS decreased this risk (OR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.43-0.89, and OR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.93-0.98). Having received a previous CS training decreased the odds of physical attacks (OR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.35-0.83).

CONCLUSIONS

A majority of Chinese physicians showed a high positive attitude towards CS training, were trained in CS and would value further training. Our results highlight that CS training is likely to promote patient-centered communication and reduce attacks against physicians. Both of these effects are to improve the patient-physician-relationship in the long run. More CS training should be offered to Chinese physicians, especially at secondary- and primary-care hospitals, where such practices remain infrequent.

Workplace violence against Chinese health professionals 2013-2021: A study of national criminal judgment documents

Objectives

Patient-initiated hospital violence is a global problem which threatens the safety of health professionals and is indicative of doctor-patient tensions, impeding health system quality and access. The current study aimed to improve the understanding of medical workplace violence (WPV) in China, using authoritative and nationally representative judgment records, and to approach violence prevention strategies.

Methods

All litigation records relating to violence against health professionals between 2013 and 2021 were extracted from the China Judgment Online System. Basic case information, victim characteristics, perpetrator characteristics and the nature of the violence were collated. The relationship between different treatment outcomes and violence was also explored.

Results

Numbers of cases of hospital violence gradually increased from 2013 to a peak in 2016 before gradually decreasing in the following years. The most common perpetrators were patients' relatives (58.2%), followed by patients themselves (38.2%). Only 9 perpetrators had a confirmed history of mental illness and only two were intoxicated with alcohol. More than half of the cases (52.5%) occurred in rural areas and this percentage is even greater for primary health care institutions (71.4%) and secondary hospitals (73.5%). On a departmental level, the highest incidence of medical WPV was found in the emergency (18.9%), pediatrics (13.2%) and obstetrics (11.5%) departments. Violent behaviors, such as stalking, mass occupation of the ward and sharp instrument injury were significantly related to cases not involving patient death (p < 0.05). Disruptive behavior, such as hanging banners, blocking hospital passages, placing flower wreaths and burning paper money were significantly correlated with cases involving patient death (p < 0.01). The interval between a patient's death and the ensuing violence was short, happening on the same day in 54.8% of cases.

Conclusions

A comprehensive overview of medical WPV in China is presented and may have utility for the formulation of prevention strategies.

Patient perception of doctor communication skills and patient trust in rural primary health care: the mediating role of health service quality

Background

This study aimed to explore the relationship between communication skills, health service quality, and patient trust in primary health services.

Method

This study was conducted in village clinics in rural China. A simple random sampling method was used to select volunteer village clinics and patients. In total, 574 participants from 25 village clinics were selected with the help of local health officers and village doctors. The response rate was 90%. Statistical analyses (hierarchical linear regression analysis and a structural equation model) were performed to analyze the data.

Results

Patient trust in doctors in rural primary health was influenced by patient perceptions of doctors’ communication skills and health service quality. However, health service quality fully mediated the relationship between doctors’ communication skills and patient trust in village clinics. In other words, doctors’ communication skills indirectly influence patients’ trust in doctors.

Conclusions

This study found a link between doctors’ communication skills and patient trust. The findings suggest that health managers and doctors should attach great value to communication skills and health service quality in promoting the rural doctor-patient relationship. Moreover, the relationship between doctors and patients should be considered when reforming the primary health system.

Association between hospital legal constructions and medical disputes: A multi-center analysis of 130 tertiary hospitals in Hunan Province, China

Background

Medical disputes are common in hospitals and a major challenge for the operations of medical institutions. However, few studies have looked into the association between medical disputes and hospital legal constructions. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between hospital legal constructions and medical disputes, and it also aimed to develop a nomogram to estimate the likelihood of medical disputes.

Methods

Between July and September 2021, 2,716 administrators from 130 hospitals were enrolled for analysis. The study collected seventeen variables for examination. To establish a nomogram, administrators were randomly split into a training group (n = 1,358) and a validation group (n = 1,358) with a 50:50 ratio. The nomogram was developed using data from participants in the training group, and it was validated in the validation group. The nomogram contained significant variables that were linked to medical disputes and were identified by multivariate analysis. The nomogram's predictive performance was assessed utilizing discriminative and calibrating ability. A web calculator was developed to be conducive to model utility.

Results

Medical disputes were observed in 41.53% (1,128/2,716) of participants. Five characteristics, including male gender, higher professional ranks, longer length of service, worse understanding of the hospital charters, and worse construction status of hospital rule of law, were significantly associated with more medical disputes based on the multivariate analysis. As a result, these variables were included in the nomogram development. The AUROC was 0.67 [95% confident interval (CI): 0.64-0.70] in the training group and 0.68 (95% CI: 0.66-0.71) in the validation group. The corresponding calibration slopes were 1.00 and 1.05, respectively, and intercepts were 0.00 and -0.06, respectively. Three risk groups were created among the participants: Those in the high-risk group experienced medical disputes 2.83 times more frequently than those in the low-risk group (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Medical dispute is prevailing among hospital administrators, and it can be reduced by the effective constructions of hospital rule of law. This study proposes a novel nomogram to estimate the likelihood of medical disputes specifically among administrators in tertiary hospitals, and a web calculator can be available at https://ymgarden.shinyapps.io/Predictionofmedicaldisputes/.

Factors associated with depression and determining dimensions of job satisfaction among physicians in Bangladesh

Background

Depression in physicians emerges early in their academic and professional careers. Lengthy and irregular duty time, high levels of obligation, job dissatisfaction, workstation culture, organizational rules, and so on significantly increased the psychological pressure on physicians.

Objectives

The study's aim was to measure the level of depression, association, and influence of socio-demographic characteristics and job satisfaction on depression among physicians in Bangladesh, as well as to explore the factor structure of job satisfaction measure and examine its internal reliability.

Methods

Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire in a cross-sectional survey of 301 physicians. The factors related to depression were investigated using a multivariable logistic regression model, and factor analysis was done to identify the important factors associated with job satisfaction.

Results

Male respondents made up 49.5 percent of the sample overall, while female respondents made up 50.5 percent. 24.58% of the physicians had mild depression, whereas 13.29%, 7.31%, and 0.66% of the participants had moderate, moderately severe, and severe depression, respectively. In multivariable analysis, sex (male vs. female, AOR: 2.16, 95% CI:1.28–3.62), monthly income <15000 BDT vs. >40000 BDT, (AOR: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.14–0.89), and income <15000 BDT vs. 15,000–24,999 BDT (AOR: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.15–0.89) were the essential factors associated with depression. Furthermore, with each unit increase in the job satisfaction score was related to a 71% decrease in the odds of physicians having depression.

Conclusion

The findings of this study indicate that providing appropriate organizational support, proper work assignments, and an adequate opportunity to develop their professional skills and career irrespective of sex may increase overall job satisfaction. Ultimately, this will serve to improve patient care as well as the whole health system's output.

Why Are Patients Unhappy with Their Healthcare? A Romanian Physicians’ Perspective

Background: Medical professional liability complaints are not triggered by a single factor, but rather by multiple factors, each having more or less implications, such as the characteristics of the physician, the medical system, the patients, the complexity of their pathology, and the inherent limits of medicine. Knowledge about the factors that initiate the complaint procedure is essential to identify the targeted measures to limit their prevalence and impact. The purpose of this study was to identify the reasons behind the malpractice complaints and the factors that may influence the initiation of complaints by the patients. Material and Methods: This study was conducted using an online questionnaire, addressed to Romanian doctors, with questions about the reasons for patient dissatisfaction and complaints, the factors that predispose a physician to being complained against, and the protective factors against patient complaints. Results: The study group included 1684 physicians, of whom 16.1% were themselves involved in a complaint, and 52.5% knew of a colleague who was complained against. The opinions of the participants regarding the reasons for the complaints, the predisposing factors to complaints, and the factors that contributed to the reported incident showed a strong link between professional liability complaints and the physician–patient/patient’s family relationship. The relationship between fellow physicians is additional to this. Conclusion: This study reveals that the improvement in the relational aspects of medical practice (physician–patient relationship and relationship between physicians) has the highest potential to decrease the number of malpractice complaints. Its practical relevance is related to the need for training physicians in the relational aspects of medical practice during academic years and throughout their career.

The Effect of Medical Choice on Health Costs of Middle-Aged and Elderly Patients with Chronic Disease: Based on Principal-Agent Theory

(1) Background: The discussion on how to reduce the health costs of chronic disease patients has become an important public health issue. Limited research has been conducted on how chronic disease patients’ medical choice of public and private medical institutions affect health costs. (2) Methods: This study used the panel data composed of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS) from 2011 to 2018, adopted the quasi-natural experimental research method, and set up a control group and an experimental group that chose public medical institutions and private medical institutions, to analyze the association between the medical choice and health costs of chronic disease patients. (3) Results: Compared with chronic disease patients who chose private medical institutions, patients who chose public medical institutions increased their total cost by 44.9%, total out-of-pocket cost by 22.9%, and decreased the total out-of-pocket ratio by 0.117%, total drug cost out-of-pocket ratio by 0.075%, and drug cost ratio by 0.102%. (4) Conclusions: According to the triple principal-agent relationships, the resource advantages given by the government to public medical institutions, the salary incentive system of medical institutions, and the information asymmetry advantage held by physicians may be important factors for the increase in health costs for chronic disease patients.

Developing a scale measuring the doctor-patient relationship in China from the perspective of doctors

OBJECTIVES

The doctor-patient relationship is usually measured in line with patient needs and demands. This study aimed to develop a scale measuring such a relationship from the perspective of doctors.

METHODS

A draft scale was developed and adapted to the hospital context of China based on several existing scales, with an intention to measure how medical doctors view and manage their relationship with patients beyond episodic clinical encounters. Two rounds of Delphi consultations involving 14 experts were conducted to seek their consensus on the inclusion and descriptions of items. This resulted in a 19-item scale measuring four domains of the relationship. The scale was validated through a survey of 1,712 medical doctors selected from 27 public hospitals in Heilongjiang province of China. The internal consistency of the scale was assessed using Cronbach's α coefficients of the four domains. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed to test the construct validity of the scale. Linear regression analyses were performed to assess the known-group validity of the scale.

RESULTS

The scale measures four domains. The Cronbach's α of the scale reached an acceptable level, ranging from 0.61 to 0.78 for its four domains. Good fitness of data into the four-domain structure of the scale was confirmed by the confirmatory factor analysis. Known-group differences were demonstrated in the regression analyses.

CONCLUSION

The doctor-patient relationship scale developed in this study is a psychometrically valid tool assessing how medical doctors view and manage their relationship with patients in the hospital setting in China.

Patient-centred care and patient autonomy: doctors' views in Chinese hospitals

Background

Patient-centred care and patient autonomy is one of the key factors to better quality of service provision, hence patient outcomes. It enables the development of patients’ trusts which is an important element to a better doctor-patient relationship. Given the increasing number of patient disputes and conflicts between patients and doctors in Chinese public hospital, it is timely to ensure patient-centred care is fully and successfully implemented. However, limited studies have examined the views and practice in different aspects of patient-centred care among doctors in the Chinese public hospitals.

Methods

A quantitative approach was adopted by distributing paper-based questionnaires to doctors and patients in two hospitals (Level III and Level II) in Jinan, Shandong province, China.

Results

In total, 614 doctors from the surgical and internal medicine units of the two hospitals participated in the survey yielding 90% response rates. The study confirmed the inconsistent views among doctors in terms of their perception and practice in various aspects patient-centred care and patient autonomy regardless of the hospital where they work (category II or category III), their unit speciality (surgical or non-surgical), their gender or seniority. The high proportion of doctors (more than 20%) who did not perceive the importance of patient consultation prior to determining diagnostic and treatment procedure is alarming. This in in part due to the belief held by more than half of the doctors that patients were unable to make rational decisions and their involvement in treatment planning process did not necessarily lead to better treatment outcomes.

Conclusion

The study calls for the development of system level policy and organisation wide strategies in encouraging and enabling the practice of patient-centred care and patient autonomy with the purposes of improving the quality of the service provided to patients by Chinese hospitals.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12910-022-00777-w.

What are the Bad Habits and Behaviors of Inconsiderate Doctors in Chinese Inhabitants’ Mind? A Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose

This study aims to 1) investigate inhabitants’ perceptions of doctors’ inconsiderate behaviors during diagnosis and treatment, 2) explore the factors influencing inhabitants’ attitudes toward doctors’ professional reputation, and 3) examine the status of doctors’ inconsiderate behaviors and inhabitants’ attitudes and behaviors toward these doctors in China.

Patients and Methods

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 2050 participants from over 30 Chinese cities, from March to June 2018. In total, 1598 valid questionnaires were obtained (with an effective response rate of 77.95%). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, and logistic linear regression analysis.

Results

We developed a questionnaire comprising of 15 items regarding doctors’ inconsiderate behaviors based on inhabitants’ perspectives (Cronbach’s alpha was 0.944). Additionally, we identified the factors that influence the attitudes of inhabitants regarding doctors’ professional reputation, such as frequency of medical consultations, medical expenses, education catalog, and type of medical insurance. A majority of the participants highly valued Chinese doctors’ professional reputation (87.55%), and trusted them (86.29%). However, about 60.27% of the participants reported a pessimistic-like judgment on the current doctor–patient relationship (DPR) in China. Participants believed that Chinese doctors received a high income (20.47%), maintained a high social status (23.46%), and had a heavy workload (59.95%). Furthermore, about 54.88% of participants reported that they would not engage in aggressive behaviors against doctors during a dispute. Lastly, about 26.66% of participants reported that they would act rationally when they were dissatisfied with their doctors.

Conclusion

Impassive emotions and improper actions of doctors toward patients jointly contributed to the disrepute of Chinese doctors. Although DPR was becoming tense, Chinese inhabitants held a positive evaluation of doctors’ professional reputation. While an improvement in the economic situation and reputation of doctors enhanced the DPR, there remains an urgent need to improve the working environment in regard to future Chinese health reforms.

Workplace Violence, Workforce Stability, and Well-being in China's Psychiatric Hospitals

INTRODUCTION

Workplace violence against psychiatric professionals is a growing problem, yet nationally representative data in China are lacking. This study examines workplace violence against psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses in China as well as its association with workforce stability and well-being .

METHODS

Data came from a 2019 national survey of 14,264 participants (including 4,520 psychiatrists and 9,744 nurses) from 41 psychiatric hospitals across China. The occurrence of physical and verbal assaults among psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses was reported. Logistic regression models were constructed to examine the participants' characteristics associated with encountering workplace violence and the association of encountering violence with self-reported quality of life, health status, turnover intention, and career satisfaction. Analyses were performed during 2020.

RESULTS

In 2019, among 14,264 psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses in China, 81% reported encountering workplace violence during the past year. Psychiatrists were 0.68 (95% CI=0.55, 0.83) times less likely to report an encounter of violence than nurses. Male and younger nurses were 2.20 (95% CI=1.72, 2.81) and 1.21 (95% CI=1.01, 1.45) times more likely to report violence. Psychiatrists who had a higher educational degree or a higher professional rank were more vulnerable to violence. Encountering violence was significantly associated with poor quality of life, less satisfaction with health status, greater intention to leave the current job, and career dissatisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

Workplace violence against psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses are common in China, indicating that China's psychiatric professionals are facing a significant threat to occupational safety. To maintain psychiatric workforce stability, actions are needed to reduce the prevalence of workplace violence at the system, institutional, and individual levels.

Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives in the United States and China: The Need for Professional Public Space

Pharmaceutical sales representatives (PSRs) are one of the most frequently used drug information sources for physicians in both the United States and China. During face-to-face interactions, PSRs use various promotional strategies to impact the prescribing behavior. In the United States, PSRs provide physicians small gifts, free drug samples, and “sincere friendships”, whereas in China, they played an indispensable role in medical corruption over the past three decades. To cope with the undue influence of PSRs, both these countries have taken positive but insufficient measures to eliminate the effect thus far. By comparing the strategies of American and Chinese PSRs, it was found that building a friendly personal relationship with physicians in a relatively closed private environment (such as physician’s office) is a key factor to exert an individualized influence on physicians, even in different social backgrounds and healthcare contexts. Therefore, this essay suggests that it is necessary to limit the establishment of personal relationships and maintain a more professional interaction to reduce the personalized psychological and emotional influences on physicians’ professional judgment. To achieve this goal, it is proposed to transfer the physician-PSR interaction to a professional public space as a supplement to current countermeasures and suggestions. The presence of others and the possibility of third party participation will stimulate more ethical and reputational concerns. It is hoped that the increased transparency of the interaction will promote participants to consider more professional norms and mitigate the undue influence of PSRs’ individualized strategies.

The Association Between Medical Liability Insurance Coverage and Medical Disturbances in Tertiary Psychiatric Hospitals in China: A National Survey

Background

Medical disturbances (MD), a severe type of medical disputes, are common in Chinese hospitals. Medical liability insurances were introduced to establish a new system of conflict resolution and risk management. However, data are scarce on the effects of medical liability insurance coverage and MD in psychiatric hospitals. This study was set to address it based on a nationwide survey.

Methods

A national cross-sectional survey was conducted in March 2019. Physicians in 41 tertiary psychiatric hospitals participated in a smartphone based anonymous questionnaire. Experience of MD, sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, and job satisfaction information were reported by physicians. The hospital medical liability insurance status was reported by participating hospitals. Multi-level logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between medical liability insurance coverage and MD.

Results

In total, 4511 physicians completed the survey, 3760/4511 (83.35%) physicians in 32 hospitals had medical liability insurance coverage, and 1401/4511 (31.06%) physicians had encountered medical disturbances in the previous year. After adjusting for confounding factors, medical liability insurance coverage was not significantly associated with MD (OR=1.28, 95% CI: 0.93-1.76). Female gender, working in West China, and higher job satisfaction were protective factors for MD. Higher outpatient volume/week (>50 patients/week) and longer working hours/week were risk factors for MD.

Conclusion

Nearly one-third of physicians in Chinese top-tier psychiatric hospitals reported experience of MD. There was no significant association between medical liability insurance coverage and MD experienced among physicians in Chinese psychiatric hospitals. Policymakers and hospital administrators need to tailor the scope of medical liability insurance and to focus on other factors to reduce MD, including reducing workload and improving the doctor-patient relationship.

From Mao to McDonaldization? Assessing the rationalisation of health care in China

China's 2009 health care reform agenda has been referred to as one of the most ambitious health policy programmes in modern history. Significant investment has combined with new structures, incentives, and regulations that have aimed to improve access, as well as gain greater control over a health care market much criticised for putting profit before patients. A range of health services research has been undertaken to analyse these efforts. Sociological perspectives have also been documented yet up to now a review and synthesis combining these various contributions has not been undertaken. By drawing on the lens of McDonaldization, the paper presents a narrative review that analyses the extent to which China's 2009 reform agenda has increased efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control over service provision. The review identifies elements of McDonaldization within China's 2009 reform agenda, however, notable gaps remain. In response to the limits of McDonaldization as a lens for understanding China's health care reform, the paper calls for alternative perspectives that are better able to understand the sociocultural dynamics shaping service provision, as well as an interdisciplinary research agenda that is able to generate new insights and understanding regarding health care in China.

Improvement of the management of mental well-being and empathy in Chinese medical students: a randomized controlled study

BACKGROUND

Among Chinese medical students, there is a high prevalence of mental health-related issues and low empathy. Effective strategies to improve this situation are lacking. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of the intervention courses designed to enhance the mental health and empathy of senior Chinese medical students.

METHODS

A total of 146 3rd - and 4th -year medical students were randomized to an intervention group (n = 74) and a control group (n = 72). A pilot study including 5 pre-clinical students and 5 interns was first carried out to determine the themes and content of the intervention courses. The designed courses were delivered in the intervention group once a month three times, while the control group had no specific intervention. Five self-assessment questionnaires, including the General Self-Efficacy (GSE) scale, Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 8 (SF-8), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Care Provider Student version (JSE-HPS), were completed by the students before and one month after the courses to evaluate their levels of self-efficacy (SE), quality of life (QoL), depression, burnout, and empathy, respectively. Qualitative data were collected via e-mail two years after the intervention.

RESULTS

Compared to the control group, the intervention group showed significantly higher scores for empathy (111.0 [IQR 102.0, 118.0] vs. 106.0 [IQR 93.0, 111.5]; P = .01) and QoL (32.0 [IQR 28.0, 35.0] vs. 29.5 [IQR 26.0, 34.0]; P = .04). The rate of depression was significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group (13.5 % vs. 29.2 %; chi-square test, P = .02). However, no significant differences in self-efficacy (25.6 ± 4.8 vs. 24.3 ± 6.3; P = .16) or burnout (27.0 % vs. 34.7 %; Chi-square test, P = .31) were observed between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The intervention courses had a positive impact on mental well-being and empathy in senior Chinese medical students, which might help provide novel information for their incorporation into the medical school curriculum.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02645643; Date of registration: 05/01/2016.

Rating Hospital Performance in China: Review of Publicly Available Measures and Development of a Ranking System

BACKGROUND

In China, significant emphasis and investment in health care reform since 2009 has brought with it increasing scrutiny of its public hospitals. Calls for greater accountability in the quality of hospital care have led to increasing attention toward performance measurement and the development of hospital ratings. Despite such interest, there has yet to be a comprehensive analysis of what performance information is publicly available to understand the performance of hospitals in China.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to review the publicly available performance information about hospitals in China to assess options for ranking hospital performance.

METHODS

A review was undertaken to identify performance measures based on publicly available data. Following several rounds of expert consultation regarding the utility of these measures, we clustered the available options into three key areas: research and development, academic reputation, and quality and safety. Following the identification and clustering of the available performance measures, we set out to translate these into a practical performance ranking system to assess variation in hospital performance.

RESULTS

A new hospital ranking system termed the China Hospital Development Index (CHDI) is thus presented. Furthermore, we used CHDI for ranking well-known tertiary hospitals in China.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite notable limitations, our assessment of available measures and the development of a new ranking system break new ground in understanding hospital performance in China. In doing so, CHDI has the potential to contribute to wider discussions and debates about assessing hospital performance across global health care systems.

Patient violence, physicians treatment decisions, and patient welfare: Evidence from China

Although violence in healthcare settings has become a common occurrence worldwide, there is limited evidence on the spillover effects of patient violence on physicians' medical decisions. Utilizing microdata on inpatients from a major public hospital, we investigated how extreme patient violence-the murder of a physician in China-affected physicians' treatment decisions and patient welfare in a hospital geographically distant from the murder site. By matching this patient dataset to physician profiles, we performed a difference-in-differences analysis in which the treatment group comprised patients admitted shortly before and after the murder shock, and the control group consisted of patients admitted during the same months in the previous year. Immediately after the shock, the provision of medical treatment was notably higher, with a 16.9% increase in the number of surgeries and a 9.5% increase in the treatment expenditures. However, patient health outcomes were worse, with an increased mortality rate of 0.9% points. Findings suggest that patient violence dramatically changed physician behavior, causing negative consequences on patients even when the healthcare workers were not direct victims of patient violence.

Values, skills, and decision-making: A cultural sociological approach to explaining diagnostic disclosure

This paper provides an analytical framework for explaining the practice of diagnostic disclosure by drawing on theoretical developments regarding the question of "culture in action." Based on ethnographic and interview data collected from fieldwork at a major cancer hospital in China from 2015 to 2019, this paper explains how doctors and family members make decisions about diagnostic disclosure. We argue that it is important to understand the practice of diagnostic disclosure as motivated by the actors' values on the one hand, and constrained and enabled by the actors' skills on the other hand. It is also necessary to distinguish between personal and public values, as well as medical and interpersonal skills. Based on these distinctions, we will be better equipped to explain why diagnostic disclosure has encountered difficulties in family-centered societies, such as China.

Acute Stress Disorder Among Frontline Health Professionals During the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Structural Equation Modeling Investigation

OBJECTIVE

The outbreak of COVID-19 that commenced in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, has caused extensive public health concerns and posed substantial challenges to health professionals, especially for those in the center of the epidemic. The current study aimed to assess the prevalence, related factors, and mechanism of acute stress disorder (ASD) among health professionals in Wuhan during this critical period.

METHODS

The study used a cross-sectional design. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to the frontline health professionals in Wuhan hospitals from January 28 to February 1, 2020. Mental health-related measurements included ASD, depression, anxiety, conflict experiences, hostility, and psychosomatic symptoms. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the factors associated with ASD among health professionals.

RESULTS

A total of 332 frontline health professionals were included in the analysis (mean [standard deviation] age = 32.21 [8.77] years; 78.0% women). ASD was a prominent mental health problem in the health professionals surveyed, with a prevalence of 38.3%. Anxiety (24.7%) and depression (20.2%) were also common. Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that emotional distress (i.e., anxiety and depressive symptoms) fully mediated the association between conflicts with ASD (the standardized indirect coefficient β = 0.47, p = .016). The most common reported symptom was chest pain (51.2%). ASD was significantly associated with psychosomatic symptoms. The majority (67.8%) reported being easily annoyed or irritated, and ASD was associated with hostility.

CONCLUSIONS

During the COVID-19 outbreak, a substantial number of health professionals in Wuhan suffered from ASD. Furthermore, ASD was found to be associated with psychosomatic symptoms as well as the hostility. The poor mental health of health professionals has detrimental impacts both on the well-being of staff in health care systems and may adversely affect the quality of patient care. We call for interventions that aim to relieve the psychological and occupational stress. Considering that most of our participants were young, female frontline health professionals, the results may not be generalized to more heterogenous samples.

The Therapeutic Relationship in China: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

With a surge of conflicts between healthcare workers and patients in recent years, the therapeutic relationship (TR) in China is presently in tension. Meanwhile, consequent issues have begun to emerge, such as the distrust between healthcare workers and patients and the decline in the quality of medical services. Although many empirical studies about the TR have been conducted in China, previous studies on TR and its influencing factors have been contradictory. Therefore, this study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the current situation of the TR and to identify factors associated with the TR in Chinese hospitals from three perspectives (healthcare worker, patient, and therapeutic interaction). Two reviewers independently searched the literature, selected researches, and extracted data through comprehensively searching of three international electronic databases and three Chinese electronic databases to identify all relevant observational studies on influencing factors for TR in China published in English and Chinese from January 2000 to January 2020. Among the 3290 records initially identified, 11 studies met the selection criteria. A total of 96,906 individuals were included in the review. The results showed that 55.73% of healthcare workers consider the TR to be tense, and 33.7% of patients hold this view. The meta-analysis indicated that healthcare workers who were male, older, less educated, working in a non-surgical department, and had a senior title were more likely to be pessimistic about the TR. Patients who were rural residents, highly educated, and had no medical insurance were more likely to be pessimistic about the TR. Furthermore, the mutual trust could improve rapport between healthcare workers and patients. The 25 other related factors related to the TR were analyzed and described using a narrative approach. The findings might deserve consideration in the design of relative policies to promote harmony between doctors and patients.

Burnout and Its Relationship With Depressive Symptoms in Medical Staff During the COVID-19 Epidemic in China

Objective

The large-scale epidemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has triggered unprecedented physical and psychological stress on health professionals. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of burnout syndrome, and the relationship between burnout and depressive symptoms among frontline medical staff during the COVID-19 epidemic in China.

Methods

A total of 606 frontline medical staff were recruited from 133 cities in China using a cross-sectional survey. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was used to assess the level of burnout. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire Depression (PHQ-9).

Results

During the COVID-19 pandemic, 36.5% of the medical staff experienced burnout. Personal and work-related factors were independently associated with burnout, including age (OR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.52–0.89, p = 0.004), family income (OR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.53–0.99, p = 0.045), having physical diseases (OR = 2.16, 95% CI: 1.42–3.28, p < 0.001), daily working hours (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.03–1.77, p = 0.033), and profession of nurse (OR = 2.14, 95% CI: 1.12–4.10, p = 0.022). The correlation coefficients between the scores of each burnout subscale and the scores of depressive symptoms were 0.57 for emotional exhaustion, 0.37 for cynicism, and −0.41 for professional efficacy (all p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that the prevalence rate of burnout is extremely high among medical staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is associated with other psychological disorders, such as depression. Psychological intervention for medical staff is urgently needed. Young and less experienced medical staff, especially nurses, should receive more attention when providing psychological assistance.

Efficiency and productivity of health systems in prevention and control of non-communicable diseases in China, 2008-2015

This article examines the health system performance impact of China's new round of healthcare reform adopted in 2009. Specifically, we evaluated productivity and efficiency of health production pre- and post-reform period, compared the effects across all the 31 provinces of mainland China and identified potential determinants. As a major source of disability and premature mortality in China, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) had been the focus of our analysis, and the period during 2008-2015 was considered to allow enough time for the policy to have meaningful impact on the country's health system. Productivity and efficiency performance were analyzed using a bootstrapping data envelopment analysis (DEA) and the Malmquist productivity index (MPI) techniques, while a Tobit regression technique was used to identify determinants of inefficiency. We find that after the reform efficiency and productivity had declined across large number of provinces. Mean overall technical efficiency (OTE) post 2009 was about 30% lower than the potential maximum capacity, while productivity also fell at a rate of 7.57% per annum. Trends in productivity and efficiency performance were largely linked to patterns of scale of technological change observed during the study period. The findings suggest that efficiency and productivity can be improved through enhancing financial security, optimizing health resource allocation, particularly between human resources for health and hospital beds, and expanding cost-effective technology within the health sector. Better urban planning practices and investment in education were also found to contribute to improved efficiency of NCDs services.

Doctor-Patient Relationship in the Eyes of Medical Professionals in China During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Doctor-patient relationship (DPR) is very important for patient outcomes, especially during a public health emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic. However, few studies have evaluated DPR and related sentiments from medical professionals' perspectives. Thus, the aim of the study is to provide a better understanding of DPR from medical professionals' perspectives during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Methods: A total of 979 medical professionals, including doctors, nurses, technicians, and other workers have completed a series of questionnaires to evaluate their attitudes toward DPR, trust, violence against doctors, factors that affected and improved DPR, and the importance of these factors on DPR. Analyses of variances (ANOVA) and linear regressions were used to analyze the effects of the pandemic, demographic variables, and various elements on DPR. Results: One-way ANOVA revealed a significant effect of education on recent DPR [F _{(2, 976)} = 6.17, p < 0.001 and trust at F _{(2, 976)} = 9.54, p < 0.001], indicating that individuals with higher level of education (bachelor's degree, Master's degree and above) showed poorer recent DPR and lower level of trust. The level of hospital also showed a significant effect on trust [F _{(5, 973)} = 3.79, p = 0.0021]. Cochran's Q test revealed a significant difference in factors that affected [Q₍₁₁₎ = 3,997.83, p < 0.001] and improved [Q₍₈₎ = 3,304.53, p < 0.001] DPR. Backward stepwise linear regressions revealed predictors for changes during [F _{(9, 969)} = 21.17, p < 0.001, R ² = 0.16], shortly after [F _{(7, 971)} = 54.98, p < 0.001, R ² = 0.28], and long after [F _{(10, 968)} = 37.83, p < 0.001, R ² = 0.29] the pandemic. Conclusions: Medical professionals' perceptions of DPR is important as they provide basis for the improvement in working environment of medical professionals and hospital visiting experience of patients, as well as healthcare policy making and preparation for future public health emergencies.

The delicate balance of communicational interests: A Bakhtinian view of social media in health care

Purpose

This paper aims to use the writings of Mikhail Bakhtin to reveal new insights into the role and impact of social media in health-care settings.

Design/methodology/approach

With the help of Bakhtin’s constructs of dialogism, polyphony, heteroglossia and carnival, the power and influences of the social media phenomenon in health-care settings, are explored.

Findings

It is apparent from the in-depth analysis conducted that there is a delicate balance between the need to increase dialogue and the need to safeguard public health, in the use of social media for health-related communication. Bakhtin‘s constructs elucidate this delicate balance and highlight the need for health-care providers that use social media to find the right balance between these competing communicational priorities.

Originality/value

This paper advances a nascent theoretical approach to social media research. By applying Bakhtinian ideas to consumer health informatics, this paper has the potential to open a new approach to theorizing the role of social software in health-care settings. Stakeholders in digital health will find this paper useful, as it opens up dialogue to further discuss the role of social media in health care.

Doctors in Chinese public hospitals: demonstration of their professional identities

BACKGROUND

An increase in the number of medical disputes and violence against doctors indicates a lack of trust in the medical profession by society in Chinese public hospitals. Empirical evidence confirms that one cause is the lack of professional identity demonstrated by doctors. Medical professionals are required to maintain high standards of competence and moral responsibility, and demonstrate qualities such as respect, compassion, integrity, responsiveness to needs, and commitment to sound ethical practice in order to maintain professional privilege. These principles and appropriate professional conduct are the foundation of the professional identity of the medical profession.

METHODS

A quantitative approach was adopted by distributing paper-based questionnaires to doctors and patients in two hospitals (Level III and Level II) in Jinan, Shandong province, China.

FINDINGS

In total, 614 doctors and 1184 inpatients on discharge from the surgical and internal medicine units of the two hospitals participated in the survey yielding 90% response rates. The study confirmed the variation amongst doctors in demonstrating their professionalism in terms of respecting patients' views and preferences when determining diagnostic procedures and treatment plans, and when making ethical decisions. Although 90% patients indicated that they showed respects to doctors, close to 20% of the doctors disagreed that they received high respect from patients. About 12% of doctors prescribed unnecessary diagnostic procedures to patient for the purpose of generating profit and more than 20% of patients indicated that they gave gifts to doctors in order to receive better treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Although about 80% of doctors demonstrated certain aspects of professionalism required by practitioners, the inconsistency across the medical workforce may exacerbate tense doctor-patient relationships. A review of medical curricula and focus of the internship program is required in order to assist medical graduates with forming required professional identity in order to improve patient satisfaction and better clinical outcomes. To be effective, a more systematic approach is recommended.

Health system productivity in China: a comparison of pre- and post-2009 healthcare reform

In 2009, China launched an ambitious health system reform that combined extending social health insurance scheme with improving efficiency, access and quality of care in the country. To assess the impact of the policy on efficiency and productivity change, we investigated the country's health system performance at provincial levels during pre- and post-reform period. Outputs were measured using multiple health outcomes (namely, non-communicable diseases free healthy life years and infant and maternal survival rates), while health expenditure, number of medical personnel and hospital beds per 1000 residents were used as proxy measures for health inputs. Changes in productivity were quantified using a bootstrap Malmquist productivity index (MPI). The analysis focused on the period between 2004 and 2015. This was to capture pre- and post-policy implementation experience and to ensure that enough time was allowed for the policy to work through. Finally, a bootstrap Tobit regression model for panel data was applied to examine the potential effects of contextual factors on productivity change. The result showed that the reform has had negative effects on productivity. Only scale efficiency had improved steadily, but the decline in the scale of technological change observed during the same period meant that the progress in scale efficiency had been masked. Better economic performance (as measured by per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP)) and higher human resource to capital investment ratio (as measured by density of medical staff per hospital beds) tended to boost productivity growth, while population aging, low educational attainment and higher percentage of out-of-pocket (OOP) payments had adverse effects. Improving health system productivity in China requires improving financial risk protection and maintaining proper balance between human and capital investment in the country.

Frequency and barriers of reporting workplace violence in nurses: An online survey in China

Objectives

This study aimed to explore the reporting of workplace violence against nurses and the reasons why they did not reported.

Methods

A self-designed questionnaire regarding workplace violence and reporting was used to conduct a cross-sectional survey on nurses who submitted a manuscript to a Chinese nursing journal from 2016 to 2017. A total of 324 nurses agreed to participate in this study and 266 participants from 165 hospitals in 72 cities returned questionnaires.

Results

A total of 172 nurses (64.7%) experienced violent incidents during the past year. Of these incidents, 45.5% were reported; and the reporting rate of physical assaults (69.0%) was higher than those of verbal abuse (36.9%), threatening behavior (51.7%), and sexual harassment (60.0%). Formal reporting accounted for 25.4% (15.4% in written form and 10.0% through a computer-assisted reporting system). Almost half of the nurses (49.6%) stated that the hospital had no reporting system or they were uncertain about the reporting system. For reasons of not reporting, 51.9% of the nurses were unware of how and what types of violence to report, and 50.6% of the nurses believed that the hospital paid greater attention to patients rather than staff.

Conclusions

A clear definition of workplace violence and reporting procedures, establishment of a facile system for reporting, and supervisory support following a reporting are urgently required.

Effectiveness of clinical scenario dramas to teach doctor-patient relationship and communication skills

BACKGROUND

The doctor-patient relationship in China has deteriorated in recent years, and poor doctor-patient communication is one of the main reasons. How to effectively carry out doctor-patient communication training originated from the West among Chinese medical students still to be studied. In the past decade, Peking Union Medical College has adopted clinical scenario drama to teach doctor-patient relationship and clinical communication skills. The aim of this study was to introduce clinical scenario dramas and evaluate its effectiveness in promoting doctor-patient relationships and clinical communication skills through students' self-perceptions in Chinese medical students.

METHODS

This study was a retrospective, self-controlled study and conducted from March 2009 to October 2018. Doctor-patient relationship and communication skills training were administered to all sixth-year medical students, which involved lectures and various clinical scenario dramas. The program totaled 24 h, of which each class session was 3 h, with 8 sessions in total. All students were requested to complete an anonymous 5 likert self-rating survey including self-confidence in using communication skills and self-perceived learning attitude and ability before and at the end of the course. In addition, they were requested to evaluate the curriculum after completion of the course.

RESULTS

Clinical scenario dramas helped students improve their self-confidence in clinical communication skills except for psychosomatic history taking (p < 0.05). The interests for participation in clinical scenario dramas were higher compared to attending lectures (4.39 ± 0.610 Vs 4.07 ± 0.831, p<0.01). Study participants were highly satisfied in the course setting, teaching instructors and content (4.61 ± 0.546, 4.65 ± 0.535, 4.63 ± 0.534). The self-evaluation results demonstrated that clinical scenario dramas improved the learning ability of medical students (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The use of clinical scenario dramas was helpful in teaching doctor-patient communication skills.

The influence of a ban on outpatient intravenous antibiotic therapy among the secondary and tertiary hospitals in China

BACKGROUND

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious global public health challenge. Physicians' over-prescription of antibiotics is a major contributor, and intravenous (IV) antibiotic use has been a particular concern in China. To address the rapid fallout of antibiotic overuse, the Chinese government has piloted a ban of IV antibiotics in the outpatient department (OD) with the exemption of paediatrics, emergency department (ED), and inpatient ward of secondary and tertiary hospitals in several provinces.

METHODS

To assess the potential impact of the policy, we conducted a mixed-methods study including 1) interviews about the ban of IV antibiotic use with 68 stakeholders, covering patients, health workers, and policy-makers, from two cities and 2) a hospital case study which collected routine hospital data and survey data with 207 doctors.

RESULTS

Our analyses revealed that the ban of IV antibiotics in the OD led to a reduction in the total and IV antibiotic prescriptions and improved the rational antibiotic prescribing practice in the OD. Nevertheless, the policy has diverted patient flow from OD to ED, inpatient ward, and primary care for IV antibiotic prescriptions. We also found that irrational antibiotic use in paediatrics was neglected. Radical policy implementation, doctors circumvented the regulations, and lack of doctor-patient communication during patient encounters were barriers to the implementation of the ban.

CONCLUSIONS

Future efforts may include 1) to de-escalate both oral and IV antibiotic therapy in paediatric and reduce oral antibiotic therapy among adults in outpatient clinics, 2) to reduce unnecessary referrals by OD doctors to ED, primary care, or inpatient services and better coordinate for patients who clinically need IV antibiotics, 3) to incorporate demand-side tailored measures, such as public education campaigns, and 4) to improve doctor-patient communication. Future research is needed to understand how primary care and other community clinics implement the ban.

The Mediating Role of Perceived Stress in Associations Between Self-Compassion and Anxiety and Depression: Further Evidence from Chinese Medical Workers

Objective

Medical workers report high rates of stress, anxiety and depression, which need urgent attention. Providing evidence for intervention measures in the face of a mental health crisis, the present study validates the relation between self-compassion and anxiety and depression mediated by perceived stress amongst medical workers. The goal is also to replicate a similar mediation model though multigroup analysis.

Methods

Medical workers were randomly selected to investigate by paper-and-pencil survey among 1,223 medical workers from three hospitals in Shiyan, China. The measures were comprised of four parts: the Chinese version of the Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale (GADS), the Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form (SCS-SF), the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) and a socio-demographic questionnaire. Applying structural equation modeling (SEM, single-group analysis), we estimated the effects of self-compassion on anxiety/depression through perceived stress. Furthermore, based on multigroup analysis, we used two sets of internal samples (gender groups, medical groups) and an external sample (nursing students) for testing multigroup invariance.

Results

The average scores of anxiety, depression, self-compassion and perceived stress in medical workers were 5.93 ± 2.46, 4.91 ± 2.62, 38.87 ± 4.66 and 71.96 ± 15.14, respectively. In some departments engaged in the research, the medical workers showed higher levels of anxiety and depression. The SEM results indicated that the original relationship between self-compassion and anxiety and depression was beta = -0.42 (P < 0.001) and reduced to beta = -0.17 (P < 0.001) while introducing perceived stress as a mediating variable. Perceived stress was positively associated with anxiety and depression (beta = 0.60, P < 0.001), and self-compassion was negatively associated with perceived stress (beta = -0.56, P < 0.001). Multigroup analysis showed acceptable changes in fit indices across gender (male and female), medical (clinician and non-clinician), and population (medical workers and nursing students) groups.

Conclusion

Medical workers were experiencing high levels of anxiety and depression and perceived stress. Perceived stress might have a partial mediating effect on self-compassion and anxiety and depression amongst medical workers, which was similar to a previous study in nursing students. The findings supported multigroup invariance across gender, medical and population groups. The study concluded that the mediation model may be generalized across these multiple samples. Psychological intervention could be used to improve levels of self-compassion of medical workers.

Who Is Responsible for Causing and Solving the Problem? Responsibility Attribution of Medical Disputes in Chinese Print Media

This study provides an insight into medical journalism practice by examining how news media have framed who is responsible for causing and solving the growing problem of medical disputes in Mainland China. We identified responsibility-attribution information presented in 490 news articles about medical disputes published in the People's Daily, Health News, and Southern Metropolis Daily between 2012 and 2017. Our data reveal that, mentions of personal causes have significantly outnumbered those of societal causes. Specifically, health workers were discussed most often as being responsible for the occurrence of medical disputes. In terms of how to solve the problem, the media were focusing heavily on societal-level efforts, while post-event solutions were addressed more frequently than preventative actions. City press was less likely to discuss societal causes and solution suggestions compared with party press and professional newspapers. In the conclusion, we discussed the potential consequences of such framing patterns, and how media professionals can be meaningfully engaged in the future reporting on public health problems.

Patient resistance towards clinicians' diagnostic test-taking advice and its management in Chinese outpatient clinic interaction

Performing diagnostic tests is a fundamental information-gathering activity in diagnostic process. However, little attention has been paid to the interactional process where a diagnostic test is advised and received, especially in Chinese medical settings. Decision making over prescribing diagnostic tests consists of clinicians' advice and patients' acceptance or resistance/rejection. Drawing on audio-recordings of clinician-patient encounters in Chinese outpatient clinics as data and conversation analysis as a method, we discuss how patient resistance to clinicians' diagnostic test-taking advice is displayed and managed over sequences of interaction. Two types of advice deliveries have been identified: advice either with no diagnostic utterances or with indeterminate diagnostic utterances. We find that patients demonstrate their resistance towards the former type of advice in two ways: questioning clinicians' decisions and proposing an alternative plan. Displaying resistance to the latter type of advice, patients have been found to recurrently resort to one way: proffering additional information about personal experience. Confronted with resistance, clinicians generally proceed to justify decisions by either asserting their epistemic primacy in determining a test or lowering certainty in the original speculative diagnosis. Towards persistent resistance, clinicians mainly employ two techniques to impose acceptance onto patients: repeating the initial advice and terminating forcefully current sequence. This study adds to a growing body of research on resistance in medical settings and contributes to our understanding of the decision making over medical investigations in Chinese outpatient clinic interaction.

Role expectations from doctors and effects on nonmedical outcomes

RATIONALE, AIMS, AND OBJECTIVES

The predominant assumption of doctor professionalism may be prone to unpredicted alterations in the face of "a new age of doctoring." The aim in this study is to explore one dimension in the doctor-patient dyadic relationship: the face-to-face interaction between doctors and patients and whether satisfaction of role expectations affects service outcomes as perceived by the patient-consumer.

METHODS

In the first qualitative phase, 10 physicians and 11 patients were interviewed in-depth for the purposes of understanding the variations in role expectations from doctors. These details were then used to construct the scenarios to be used in the second quantitative phase. Scenario-based experimental data were collected using a cross-sectional sample consisting of 432 individuals.

RESULTS

Although positive emotions lead to positive outcomes when the doctor is role-congruent, positive emotions lead to even better outcomes when the doctor is behaving too friendly. In addition, negative emotions lead to negative outcomes in both scenarios; however, outcomes become worse when the doctor is role-incongruent.

CONCLUSIONS

Role expectations play a moderating role between emotions and service outcomes. The medical performance can be perceived good or bad depending on whether the doctor smiles "too much" or not. Results are discussed within the context of role expectation theory and the changing nature of service relationships in the health care sector.

Associations of Suicidality with Adverse Life Events, Psychological Distress and Somatic Complaints in a Chinese Medical Student Sample

The present study aimed to examine the associations of suicidality with psychological distress, somatic symptoms, and stressors in medical school students. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of medical students at a large, top-ranked medical school. A total sample of 662 medical students (269 men) completed a battery of self-reported questionnaire. Of the respondents, 136 (20.5%) reported having suicidal ideation, 40 (6.0%) reported having planned suicide, and 10 (1.5%) reported having attempted suicide during the previous year. Students from rural areas and the 3rd year of study reported higher levels of suicidal ideation than their counterparts. General pain/fatigue was associated with suicidal ideation and planning, while interpersonal difficulties were associated only with suicidal ideation. This study provides evidence linking severe psychological distress, general pain/fatigue, interpersonal stress and psychosocial factors with suicide risk among Chinese medical students which provides targets for future psychological interventions.

A nationwide cross-sectional study of 15,611 lesbian, gay and bisexual people in China: disclosure of sexual orientation and experiences of negative treatment in health care

BACKGROUND

Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people often face individual- and system-level barriers in health care. However, LGB people's experiences of health care in non-European and non-American settings have been scarcely studied. In China, while it has been estimated that there are at least 70 million gender and sexual minorities, there has been no larger-scale study on LGB people's experiences of health care beyond a focus on gay men and HIV. This study is the first larger-scale quantitative study to investigate LGB people's experiences of health care in China, where non-heterosexuality is officially silenced and the needs of non-heterosexual people are largely ignored by service providers.

METHODS

An online survey was designed in joint partnership by academic, community groups and the United Nations Development Programme. Targeted and snowball sampling was adopted for participant recruitment. Such unique cross-sectoral partnership made this research possible in the authoritarian state of China where data collection on LGB people is extremely rare. For the analysis in this paper, a sample of 15,611 Chinese LGB people were included. Frequency and descriptive statistics were conducted to describe the LGB respondents' demographic characteristics and their experiences in health care settings. Chi-square tests were conducted to test how experiences vary across LGB people with different demographic characteristics.

RESULTS

More than three quarters of the respondents said they would be willing to disclose to their medical care providers their sexual orientation if asked. However, only 5.7% of the respondents said that medical care providers ever asked them about their sexual orientation. About 8.0% of the LGB people surveyed reported having experienced negative treatment in medical care settings. Six percent (5.7%) of the Chinese LGB people said in accessing mental health care services, they were recommended, coaxed into, or provided conversion therapy for sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a strong need to enhance LGB cultural competence among health care providers. Policymakers in China should also formulate laws, policies, regulations, clearly articulated codes of conduct, and transparent procedures and practices to ensure non-discrimination of LGB people in the health care system, with a particular focus on banning conversion therapy.

Violence against healthcare workers and other serious responses to medical disputes in China: surveys of patients at 12 public hospitals

Background

Workplace violence against healthcare workers is a global issue that is on the rise, with Chinese healthcare workers facing growing challenges with hospital violence. Attacks on medical staff have increased in recent years with no clear resolution. Prior research focused on policies to improve the doctor-patient relationship and better protect clinicians, but few studies addressed the patient perspective. This paper examines patients’ choices when facing a medical dispute and identifies groups who are more likely to respond to conflict with violence or other serious actions.

Methods

Patient survey responses were collected in 12 leading public hospitals in five Chinese provinces with 5556 participants. The survey asked sociodemographic information, patients’ attitudes (e.g., general optimism, trust in their physicians, perceived healthcare quality), and their primary response to a medical dispute. From least to most severe, the options range from “complaining within the family” to “violence.” We used t-tests and Chi-square tests to explore the relationships between reactions and patient characteristics. We also performed multivariable logistic regressions to determine the impact of sociodemographics and provider trust on the seriousness of responses.

Results

The primary response of a third of respondents was complaining to hospital or health department officials (32.5%). Seeking legal help (26.3%) and direct negotiation with doctors (19.6%) were other frequent responses. More serious responses included 83 stating violence (1.5%), 9.7% expressing a desire to expose the issue to the news media, and 7.4% resorting to seeking third-party assistance. Patients who were more likely to report “violence” were male (OR = 1.81, p < .05), high-income earners (OR = 3.71, p < .05), or reported lower life satisfaction (OR = 1.40, p < .05). Higher trust scores were associated with a lower likelihood of a serious response, including violence (OR = 0.80, p < .01).

Conclusion

Most respondents reported mild reactions when facing a medical dispute. Among those who reported the intent of serious reactions, some sociodemographic characteristics and the trust of physicians could be predictive. To prevent future hospital violence, this work helps identify the characteristics of patients who are more likely to seek severe approaches to medical dispute resolution, including resorting to violence. From these results, hospitals will be better able to target specific groups for interventions that build patient-provider trust and improve general patient satisfaction.