Troubling Complaint: Addressing Hepatitis C-Related Stigma and Discrimination Through Complaint Mechanisms

The need to grapple with hepatitis C-related stigma and discrimination in Australian health-care settings has been recognized in public policy, and work is underway to address it. But how likely are people to raise a complaint when they experience stigma or discrimination? And how effective and accessible are complaints mechanisms? Given complaint procedures are considered important parts of the delivery of safe and ethical health care, these are important questions that have yet to be substantially explored.

Drawing on interviews with people with lived experience of hepatitis C, an article, published in Sociology of Health & Illness, considers how affected people feel about complaints processes and the act of complaining. Alongside these perspectives, the article discusses complaint mechanisms, and the views of stakeholders who work with hepatitis C-affected communities in policy, health, legal and advocacy roles on the institutional and cultural dynamics of complaint.