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Understanding the demographics of malpractice claims can help emergency physicians be aware of high-risk patient complaints and potential sources of error. These authors reviewed 11,529 closed medical malpractice claims from 1985 through 2007 that involved events originating in U.S. emergency departments (EDs).
Emergency physicians were named as primary defendants in 19% of claims. Errors in diagnosis and improper performance of procedures were the leading sources of error in all claims (37% and 17%, respectively); no error was identified in 18% of claims. Although 64% of claims did not result in payouts, the average expense for each of these claims was about US$12,000. Twenty-nine percent of claims were settled and 7% went to court, where t…