Assessing Adverse Outcomes and Learning Needs in Canadian Psychiatric Independent Medical Examinations.

Despite the importance of independent medical examinations (IMEs), there is virtually no literature on the risks to the IME assessor nor the learning needs of psychiatrists in this area. To address this deficit, a retrospective chart review of nearly 38,000 cases from the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) identified 108 files involving complaints or legal actions against psychiatrists performing IMEs. Most complaints identified by the CMPA were to regulatory bodies, including biased opinion, inadequate assessment, inappropriately relying on a requester's information without independent evaluation, nonadherence to regulatory body policies, cursory documentation lacking relevant details, and communication breakdowns.