Male physicians have higher odds of malpractice claims

On Behalf of | Oct 20, 2015 | Doctor Errors

Male and female physicians in New Mexico may find the results of a BMC Medicine study startling. The researchers analyzed 32 reports about medical malpractice, and they discovered that legal complaints and lawsuits named male physicians as defendants 2.5 times more often than female physicians.

Out of all of the reports, 27 of them revealed that legal actions targeted men more often than their female colleagues. Regardless of gender, physicians face a high likelihood of experiencing lawsuits for medical errors, according to a recent survey of physicians. Lawsuits loom large over the profession with 43.8 percent of all physicians reporting that they have been threatened with legal action. Approximately 32 percent of them have been a defendant in a lawsuit.

Among people who take the step of filing lawsuits, their motivations tend to break down into four major reasons. First, they want to stop a bad outcome from happening to another person. Some people sue because they want an explanation for what happened to them. Financial damages from medical mistakes prompt other lawsuits as people try to recover compensation for pain and suffering and medical expenses. Finally, a desire to make physicians accountable for their performance drives other lawsuits.

A person who has experienced an injury due to physician negligence of some form can choose to consult with an attorney about the possibility of a lawsuit. An attorney familiar with medical cases could evaluate the evidence and even call in expert testimony to build a case against a physician. Many issues could be grounds for legal action, including a failure to treat an infection or a delayed diagnosis.

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