Malpractice claims should not hold up in court

Analysis about patients suing doctors for malpractice may improve information management system.

A study shows that the most common reason patients give for their doctors is a delay or failure to diagnose a disease.

The study reviewed information on medical malpractice claims against primary care doctors in the United States, Australia, France and Canada and found that the most frequently missed disease were cancer and heart attacks in adults and meningitis in children.

The second most common reason for a lawsuit was medication errors, such as prescription-related errors or adverse drug reactions.

Although the majority of the medical malpractice claims should not hold up in court, understanding malpractice suits can help doctors identify situations that may result in adverse events for patients, as well as systems that can be put into place to help prevent errors from happening.

Ultimately the study analyzing malpractice claims can contribute to improving the quality of medical practice. For example the doctor who received malpractice claims might talk it to other doctors.

The new study may also help identify areas of medicine that may benefit from better risk management systems, such as computer systems that let doctors check what medications a patient is already taking before prescribing another drug.

by Oalib