Risks of complaints and adverse disciplinary findings against international medical graduates in Victoria and Western Australia

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether international medical graduates (IMGs) have more complaints made against them to medical boards and experience more adverse disciplinary findings than Australian-trained doctors. DESIGN AND SETTING: Data on all complaints made against doctors to medical boards in VICtoria and Western Australia over 7.5 years and 5.25 years, respectively, were extracted and linked with information on all doctors registered in those states over the same time periods. The data pertained to complaints resolved before February 2010 in Western Australia and June 2010 in VICtoria, the dates of the respective extractions. We tested for associations between IMG status and the incidence..