While the amount of complaints University Health Services received between 2008-09 and 2010-11 decreased, claims of professional misconduct among staff were still a common thread, according to documents obtained by The Badger Herald.

UHS, which has 85,000 annual visits, received 33 complaints filed electronically through a form titled “Tell Us How We’re Doing” between February 2010 and 2011, down from 46 between 2008 and 2009.

Breaking down the complaints

In the past year, the most common complaints were claims of professional misconduct, followed by problems with scheduling appointments, according to the documents. Confidentiality concerns as well as problems with medication and side effects were also issues patients reported.

While the number of total complaints went down, the amount of concerns over professional misconduct rose slightly from 13 in 2008-09 to 15 between 2010-11.

One complaint speaks of an instance when a health care worker did not make eye contact with the patient for most of the visit and the patient felt they should have been treated in a warmer and more welcoming manner.

Another complaint spoke of a time when a health care worker made “very concentrated” and “concerned” looks during an exam, but didn’t say anything, making the patient uneasy and left the exam feeling as though their condition was just something they “just would have to deal with it.”

Another patient said the health care worker they saw at UHS veered from asking questions about the patient’s sexual health and contraceptive use to asking the patient relationship questions relating to sex drive, according to the complaint.

The patient said she would go to another clinic, “where they treat me like an adult who knows her body.”

One complaint concerned a patient incurring injury as a result of treatment at UHS. At an appointment for an ear irrigation at UHS, one patient detailed how a nurse punctured a hole in the patient’s eardrum, resulting in lost work time, subsequent testing and surgery.

Complaints about waiting room time went down drastically from 21 between 2008-09 to two between 2010-11, but there were still scheduling and appointment concerns. Six complaints said they would benefit from more opportunities for walk-in appointments. The six complaints said finding appointment times that worked in their schedules also proved to be difficult.

Complaints pertaining to privacy concerns decreased slightly from five to four. One privacy complaint from a patient said while the patient was having a pelvic exam, a resident and medical student came in to observe without the patient’s permission.

UHS Director Sarah Van Orman said when there are cases where a patient is not asked permission, it is due to a staff oversight or not clearly explaining who any extra people in the room are. It is UHS protocol to ask every patient for permission when a resident or medical student sits in on an exam or appointment.

“Students are told they are seeing a resident and they are also asked if a medical student can participate in their care. People should always be asked,” Van Orman said.

One patient said they felt like they had been racially discriminated against while waiting over an hour to have their prescription filled and was disrespected by staff upon receiving the prescription, according to the complaint.

The patient, who was the only black individual in the room, watched for an hour as other patients came and went with their medication, and the pharmacist and other staff smirked as they left.

Other complaints highlighted issues such as being misdirected about insurance plans, being misinformed about medication’s side effects and receiving ineffective medicine.

Reviewing and addressing concerns

Van Orman said she personally reviews each complaint that patients submit.

Many of those complaints are submitted on the “Tell Us How We’re Doing” form and are reviewed by herself and Rob Sepich, the student relations manager, she said.

From there, complaints are directed to the appropriate department within UHS, be it counseling or general care and the director of that division reviews it.

The complaint form has the option to be submitted anonymously, but Van Orman said when a student decides to leave his or her name and contact info, UHS attempts to reach him or her to address the problem.

Students and patients can also approach Sepich personally if they have an issue with the care they received at UHS.

Van Orman said UHS leaders try to “close the loop” on each complaint that comes in, and part of that includes making a summary of what was learned and anything that could have been done differently.