Medicolegal Sidebar: Peer Review of Professional Competence

摘要

Medical practice is considered to be a self-regulating profession. Quality control mechanisms in a hospital or group practice include regular monitoring, assessing, and improving the healthcare delivered by providers. Peer review of the quality of healthcare delivery of individual physicians is usually triggered by a concern raised by hospital staff. This type of review is done by a committee of fellow physicians at the same institution—a sometimes awkward process because physicians may be reluctant to criticize fellow professionals. It has been said that “physicians who serve on peer review boards make neither money nor friends” [1]. Litigation risk may further chill peer review and its attendant quality goals.