Biomaterial Database

Orthopedic medical malpractice: an attorney's perspective. 2000

G F Klimo, and W J Daum, and M R Brinker, and E McGuire, and M N Elliott

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Saint Luke's Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

Orthopedic surgeons are trained to manage problems involving the musculoskeletal system. It would be helpful to identify certain procedures, anatomic areas, or issues related to the physician-patient relationship that could potentially lead to a malpractice lawsuit. Once the problems are identified, steps toward continuing education and physician awareness could be initiated. In this study, we performed a randomized nationwide survey of medical malpractice attorneys to evoke their opinion on these issues. We found that the lumbar spine was the most common anatomic area involved in orthopedic medical malpractice cases, and a physician appearing rushed and uninterested is most likely to be the subject of a lawsuit where a poor physician-patient relationship was a contributing factor. Educational and professional programs are needed to increase the awareness and knowledge of orthopedic malpractice risks, and also to identify potentially preventable problems leading to malpractice litigation.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007258	Informed Consent	Voluntary authorization, by a patient or research subject, with full comprehension of the risks involved, for diagnostic or investigative procedures, and for medical and surgical treatment.	Consent, Informed
D007603	Jurisprudence	The science or philosophy of law. Also, the application of the principles of law and justice to health and medicine.	Litigation,Medical Jurisprudence,Constitutional Law,Court Decision,Law,Legal Aspects,Legal Obligations,Legal Status,State Interest,Aspect, Legal,Aspects, Legal,Constitutional Laws,Court Decisions,Decision, Court,Decisions, Court,Interest, State,Interests, State,Jurisprudence, Medical,Law, Constitutional,Laws,Laws, Constitutional,Legal Aspect,Legal Obligation,Litigations,Obligation, Legal,Obligations, Legal,State Interests,Status, Legal
D007722	Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice	Knowledge, attitudes, and associated behaviors which pertain to health-related topics such as PATHOLOGIC PROCESSES or diseases, their prevention, and treatment. This term refers to non-health workers and health workers (HEALTH PERSONNEL).	Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
D008297	Male		Males
D008318	Malpractice	Failure of a professional person, a physician or lawyer, to render proper services through reprehensible ignorance or negligence or through criminal intent, especially when injury or loss follows. (Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed)	Professional Negligence,Negligence,Negligence, Professional,Professional Negligences
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009985	Orthopedics	A specialty which utilizes medical, surgical, and physical methods to treat and correct deformities, diseases, and injuries to the skeletal system, its articulations, and associated structures.
D010817	Physician-Patient Relations	The interactions between physician and patient.	Doctor-Patient Relations,Doctor Patient Relations,Physician Patient Relations,Physician Patient Relationship,Doctor Patient Relation,Doctor-Patient Relation,Physician Patient Relation,Physician Patient Relationships,Physician-Patient Relation,Relation, Doctor Patient,Relation, Doctor-Patient,Relation, Physician Patient,Relation, Physician-Patient,Relations, Doctor Patient,Relations, Doctor-Patient,Relations, Physician Patient,Relations, Physician-Patient,Relationship, Physician Patient,Relationships, Physician Patient
D011183	Postoperative Complications	Pathologic processes that affect patients after a surgical procedure. They may or may not be related to the disease for which the surgery was done, and they may or may not be direct results of the surgery.	Complication, Postoperative,Complications, Postoperative,Postoperative Complication
D011795	Surveys and Questionnaires	Collections of data obtained from voluntary subjects. The information usually takes the form of answers to questions, or suggestions.	Community Survey,Nonrespondent,Questionnaire,Questionnaires,Respondent,Survey,Survey Method,Survey Methods,Surveys,Baseline Survey,Community Surveys,Methodology, Survey,Nonrespondents,Questionnaire Design,Randomized Response Technique,Repeated Rounds of Survey,Respondents,Survey Methodology,Baseline Surveys,Design, Questionnaire,Designs, Questionnaire,Methods, Survey,Questionnaire Designs,Questionnaires and Surveys,Randomized Response Techniques,Response Technique, Randomized,Response Techniques, Randomized,Survey, Baseline,Survey, Community,Surveys, Baseline,Surveys, Community,Techniques, Randomized Response