Dr. Edward A. Kent can continue practicing unrestricted, but it is easier for the medical board to act if there are future "disruptive" problems.

01:00 AM EST on Tuesday, January 10, 2006

BY FELICE J. FREYER
Journal Medical Writer

The state medical board has placed Dr. Edward A. Kent, a prominent anesthesiologist at South County Hospital, on probation for one year because of "a pattern of behaviorally disruptive activity."

In a consent order that Kent signed, the state Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline found that the doctor was "disruptive to hospital staff members despite the Board's effort to address this behavior."

The order did not describe the behavior, but Dr. Robert S. Crausman, the board's chief administrative officer, said in an interview that it involved "a persistent problem of intimidation of members of the health-care team."

"This is a physician who is technically competent," Crausman said. "There has been no defined patient harm."

But the board was concerned about his behavior because it creates an atmosphere in which people don't perform at their best and don't feel free to discuss issues and problems, he said. The Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Science, has determined that disruptive physician behavior increases the likelihood of medical errors.

"Behaviors that may have been tolerated 10 or 20 years ago are not acceptable anymore," Crausman said. "If you can't work in a socially acceptable fashion, you actually put patients at risk."

The American Medical Association defines disruptive behavior as "a style of interaction with physicians, hospital personnel, patients, family members or others that interferes with patient care." This can include behavior such as foul language; rude, loud or offensive comments; and intimidation of patients and family members.

After doctors and recovery-room personnel at South County Hospital complained, the board met with Kent, but "fundamentally his behavior didn't change," said Bruce W. McIntyre, the board's lawyer.

Reached at South County Hospital yesterday, Kent, 50, declined to comment.

Kent served as chief of the hospital's Department of Anesthesiology from 1995 to 2000, and recently served as president of the Rhode Island Society of Anesthesiologists. His commentaries have appeared on The Journal's op-ed pages.

Being placed on probation is a stronger punishment than a reprimand but not as severe as a license suspension. Kent may continue practicing unrestricted, but being on probation makes it easier for the board to act swiftly if there are any future problems.

In the course of the investigation, the board also learned that Kent had "violated acceptable practice standards" by giving a hospital employee epidural anesthesia in his home.

The employee, Crausman said, was suffering from back pain but would have had to wait for hospital treatment. To bring her faster relief, Kent injected anesthetic into her back at his home. The patient was unharmed, and in fact, appreciative, but "that's not how you do things," Crausman said.

"This is a special procedure. You have to worry about a number of complications," he said. Epidurals must be done in "a hospital-like setting" where patients can be monitored because they can suffer from bleeding or suppressed breathing.

ffreyer@projo.com / (401) 277-7397