American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation
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Am J Phys Med Rehabil · Jun 1991
Comparative StudyMalpractice in physical medicine and rehabilitation. A review and analysis of existing data.
Malpractice issues are a concern for physiatrists, but little information specific to the field is readily available. Medical, legal and economic literature provide profiles of physicians involved in malpractice claims and the types of clinical situations in which suits are brought in general but no specifics on physiatry before 1973. Nine malpractice studies were examined to characterize malpractice claims in the field. ⋯ Cases involving femoral fracture comprised 14% of paid claims accounting for 34% of the total losses. Conditions of the vertebral column accounted for 35% of monetary losses and medication error accounted for 14% of monetary losses. The claim incidence was very low as one study of 71,130 claims identified none against physiatrists, with no more than 110 claims in any single study.