The most common reasons patients sue cardiologists: 3 key takeaways

The Doctors Company examined medical malpractice allegations made by patients in 429 cardiology claims that closed from 2007-2013. Here are three key takeaways from this comprehensive study that examined both patient allegations and the factors that most contributed to patient injury.

• Of the most common patient allegations, diagnosis-related issues were at the top of the list, perhaps unsurprisingly. These issues comprised 25 percent of the studied claims and include failure to diagnose, delays in diagnosis or wrong diagnosis.

• While technical performance issues brought about 21 percent of patient injuries, the study found this was not necessarily indicative of substandard care. Only a very small percentage of claims were due to detriments in technique or inexperience with procedure. Most of these injuries were the result of known complications disclosed to the patient before the procedure.

• Whether the provider failed to inform the patient about medication and instructions, or the patient failed to comply with medication plans or follow up appointments, or the physicians failed to effectively communicate with one another, communicative errors were a common thread throughout the study.

Read more on the study here.

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