Abstract
Background
Medical litigation resulting from medical errors has a negative impact on health economics
for both patients and medical practitioners. In medical litigation involving orthopedic
surgeons, we aimed to identify factors contributing to plaintiff victory (orthopedic
surgeon loss) through a comprehensive assessment.
Methods
This retrospective study included 166 litigation claims against orthopedic surgeons
using a litigation database in Japan. We evaluated the sex and age of the patient
(plaintiff), initial diagnosis, diagnostic error, system error, the time and place
of each claim that led to malpractice litigation, the institution's size, and clinical
outcomes. The main outcome was the litigation outcome (acceptance or rejection) in
the final judgment. Acceptance meant that the orthopedic surgeon lost the malpractice
lawsuit. We conducted multivariable logistic regression analyses to examine the association
of factors with an accepted claim.
Results
The median age of the patients was 42 years, and 65.7% were male. The litigation outcome
of 85 (51.2%) claims was acceptance. The adjusted median indemnity paid was $151,818.
The multivariable analysis showed that diagnostic error, system error, sequelae, inadequate
medical procedure, and follow-up observation were significantly associated with the
orthopedic surgeon losing the lawsuit. In particular, claims involving diagnostic
errors were more likely to be acceptance claims, in which the orthopedic surgeon lost
(adjusted odds ratio 16.7, 95% confidence intervals: 4.7 to 58.0, p < 0.001). All of the claims in which the orthopedic surgeon lost were associated
with a diagnostic or system error, with the most common one being system error.
Conclusions
System errors and diagnostic errors were significantly associated with acceptance
claims (orthopedic surgeon losses). Since these are modifiable factors, it is necessary
to take measures not only for individual physicians but also for the overall medical
management system to enhance patient safety and reduce the litigation risk of orthopedic
surgeons.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 07, 2021
Accepted:
November 16,
2021
Received in revised form:
November 5,
2021
Received:
September 24,
2021
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 The Japanese Orthopaedic Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
