[Physicians pilloried? On physicians' blunders and blundering physicians in Norwegian tabloids].

Doctors frequently claim that the tabloid press focuses too much on malpractice cases and that the identity of the individual physicians is also revealed. A systematic review of two Norwegian tabloids over six months in 1994 showed that articles on malpractice occurred less often than expected. We found 1.6 articles each week, on average. In addition, the doctors were identified in only three of 42 articles. The situation leading to the complaint was commented by the doctor involved in one article, while criticism from a colleague who was not directly involved was included in two of 42 articles. The results indicate that doctors need to be trained to handle the press.