MEDICAL ERROR: PRESENT-DAY ATTITUDE REGARDING THE ISSUE FROM THE ANGLE OF FORENSIC-MEDICAL PRACTICE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11603/1811-2471.2018.v0.i2.9010Keywords:
medical malpractice, medical errors, dereliction of duty by the medical personnel, analysis.Abstract
Medical malpractice litigations have become a serious social and public health problem in contemporary Ukraine, however peculiarities of improper medical care provided by different medical practitioners are little known inside the country.
The aim – to evaluate the medical malpractice litigations in Ukraine.
Material and Methods. A retrospective review of all alleged medical malpractice cases (350 in total) between 2007 and 2016 handled at Ternopil, Zhytomyr and Chernivtsi Regional Bureaus of Forensic Medical Examination, was performed.
Results. Peculiarities of improper medical care provided by physicians of all specialties, nurses and ancillary staff (the prevalence, characteristics, causes and outcomes) were studied on the base of the reports of Commission Forensic Medical Examination. Lacks of health care provision committed by medical practitioners were detected in 72.0 % of the cases. Unreasonable medical care was provided by physicians of primary hospitals. Unintentional medical care was confirmed by forensic medical expert commission as a rule in diagnostics 29.7 %, medical procedures or medical treatment (27.9 %). Mistakes in medical records were detected in (21.3 %) of the cases, institutional errors – (14.6 %), ethical errors – (7.5 %). Insufficient or incomplete medical care seemed more frequently (54.3 %), inopportune medical care – (27.0 %), unskillful medical care (14.4 %), non-rendering of medical care (4.3 %). Severe consequences for the patients (exitus lethalis) took place in majority of the cases (97.0 %). A causal relationship between the bodily harm claimed by the patient or his family and improper medical care were found in 12.9 % cases.
Conclusions. Three-fourths of alleged medical malpractice cases met lacks in health care provision. Diagnostic errors, improper performance of medical procedures and medication errors are seemed most frequently in medical malpractice cases. Approximately each fifth of all of the studied cases faced with the poor quality of the medical personnel.
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