Report details common causes of malpractice lawsuits

Do you know the main reasons why physicians are sued for medical malpractice? A malpractice report from last year from Medscape reported seven common reasons why these lawsuits occur. There were about 4,000 physicians and specialists that were surveyed for the report.

The top two reasons were failure to diagnose and patient suffered an abnormal injury. Both of these were responsible for 31 percent of the nature of the lawsuits. Failure to treat was listed as the third most common reason at 12 percent. The fourth and fifth most common reasons accounted for 4 percent. Those reasons were poor documentation of instructions and education to patients and errors in administering medication. The final reason was a failure to follow safety procedures, which was listed at 3 percent.

Other findings of interest were:

— Fifty-nine percent of primary care physicians have been named in a malpractice lawsuit during their careers.

— Eighty-five percent of obstetrics/gynecologists have been sued for malpractice.

— Eight-three percent of general surgeons have been sued for malpractice.

— The majority (70 percent) of physicians who were sued had solo practices based in an office.

— Outpatient clinics were least likely to be sued, with 47 percent of those surveyed.

— Seventy percent of physicians who were sued did not expect it.

— Only 20 percent of physician malpractice lawsuits went to trial.

If you have been injured or made more ill by a physician’s negligence, you do have a right to seek compensation. You can learn more about the civil court process from a Connecticut atorney well-versed in medical malpractice cases.

Source: beckershospitalreview.com, “Medical malpractice: 7 common reasons physicians are sued,” Anuja Vaidya, Jan. 08, 2016