CHICAGO — Surgeons who are rude to patients and others may pose a problem in the operating room. That’s according to a new study linking surgery complications with doctors whose hospitals have gotten lots of complaints about their behaviour.

Surgery complications were 14 per cent more common in patients whose surgeons had at least 14 complaints during the previous two years, compared to patients whose doctors had few or no complaints.

Complaints included surgeons dismissing questions about upcoming operations, or mistreating nurses.

The researchers say rude behaviour could hurt the operating team’s performance. They say quality improvement programs that share negative feedback with surgeons can result in fewer complaints and fewer malpractice cases. So they recommend speaking up when you see unprofessional behaviour.

The study was published Wednesday in JAMA Surgery.

Lindsey Tanner, The Associated Press