Physicians’ liability in interventional radiology and endovascular therapy

A 12-year follow-up study of malpractice claims against radiologists in Italy

“…Interventional radiology is in all countries a field with a high risk of litigation [27]. A recent American study, the Medmarx Data Report [28] based on the voluntary reporting of errors occurring between 2000 and 2004 in 314 hospitals, reported that medication errors in radiology departments cause harm to the patient with a frequency seven times higher than in other hospital departments.…”

“…Le tecniche di radiologia interventistica rappresentano in tutti i paesi una branca ad elevato rischio di liti legali [27]. Una recente indagine statunitense, il Medmarx Data Report [28], basato sulla segnalazione volontaria degli errori verificatisi tra il 2000 e il 2004 in 314 ospedali, ha segnalato come la frequenza di errori nella somministrazione di farmaci nel reparto radiologico determini conseguenze dannose per il paziente con una frequenza sette volte maggiore che negli altri reparti dell'ospedale.…”

Malpractice in Radiology: What Should You Worry About?

“…There is no malpractice if an off-label device has been used to fit a specific situation, whereas large scale off-label use or experimental use of devices without CE marking may be considered malpractice unless there is ethical committee approval and the patient has been thoroughly informed [34]. Recently in France has passed a law and a related decree entitled “Temporary Recommendations for Use” (TRUs; Decree no 2012-743, May 9, 2012) which has the advantage to encourage the development of possibly viable uses for marketed drugs and the monitoring of benefit-risk ratios for new indications [35].…”

Malpractice issues in modern anaesthesiology

“…Communication between doctors and patients is of paramount importance [10][11][12]. Most medical malpractice suits are the result of inadequate communication between doctors and patients, and litigation has very little to do with errors [10].…”

“…This process includes the following elements: the doctor has adequately explained the procedures (and possible alternatives) and their risks; the patient indicates that these procedures and risks have been understood; and, finally, the patient agrees to undergo them. The physician or healthcare specialist should spend enough time providing sufficient information on the possible complications and the expected benefit to the patient from any diagnostic test or procedure [12][13][14].…”