Medical specialty groups and malpractice insurers are taking a closer look at thousands of closed malpractice lawsuits to learn the common reasons physicians are sued. They're sharing their findings with hospitals, which use the information to develop new patient safety protocols, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Medical errors that can lead to malpractice suits occur at alarming rates. Research published in The BMJ earlier this month shows medical errors kill more than 250,000 Americans each year.
The most common reason for malpractice claims varies by medical specialty, which has led specialty groups to examine the issues unique to different types of physicians, according to WSJ.
For example, shoulder dystocia — an injury that can occur during vaginal delivers and causes damage to the nerves around a baby's shoulder — was one of the most common injuries alleged in malpractice claims from 2007 to 2014. Review of malpractice claims data showed that physicians often failed to properly assess mothers who were at a higher risk, like those who had a history of shoulder dystocia in past deliveries.
Using insights from the claims review, Mayfield Heights, Ohio-based Hillcrest Hospital, a Cleveland Clinic-owned facility, began more closely focusing on mothers who might be at risk. Marcus Tower, the hospital's director of gynecology, told WSJ that the hospital also does rehearsal drills of ways to safely deliver babies when shoulder dystocia occurs.
Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego has also used findings from malpractice claims review to implement change. An analysis of more than 300 lawsuits against emergency room physicians showed many failed to explore a wound that was infected or contained foreign bodies. Under a new protocol at Scripps Mercy Hospital, physicians are required to examine major wounds for foreign bodies before the wound is closed up, according to the report.
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