Pediatric patients are, unfortunately, not going to be without risk when they go to the hospital. For most people, an appointment will go well or an emergency will be taken care of without trouble. For others, medical errors could lead to serious injuries.
According to The Doctors Company, obstetrics, pediatrics and orthopedics were the top three areas of medicine that were named in pediatric malpractice claims. The kinds of claims that may involve those departments could include:
- Birth injury claims
- Failure-to-diagnose claims
- Claims about missed diagnoses or misdiagnoses
The people victimized in those claims were under the age of 21 (in most cases).
How many pediatric claims actually get paid out?
According to the study, around 37% of all of the 1,215 claims covered did result in a payout. In those cases, the mean indemnity payment was $630,456 and the mean expenses paid were listed at $157,592.
If you look closer by group, you’ll see that the highest mean expense was among neonates. The lowest payouts were made to teen claimants.
What are the most common neonatal patient injuries?
Based on the statistics, the most common injuries involved the brain (48%) and arms (19%). Other commonly injured areas included the legs and penis, and some cases involved blood damage of some kind.
In 13% of cases for neonatal patients, the patients passed away. This continues for other age ranges, though patients in their first year of life were much more likely to pass away based on the study. Deaths in the first year of life jumped to 30% compared to 15% for children between 1 and 9 and 13% for teenagers.
What was the most common complaint about the medical services?
Looking at the claims, the most common complaint about the services came down to:
- Obstetrics-related treatments for neonates
- Failed, wrongful, or delayed diagnoses for all other groups
As a parent, knowing that your child could be a victim of medical malpractice is a devastating thought. If your child has been hurt or passed away from delayed diagnoses or other errors, you deserve an opportunity to seek support and take action. You may be able to seek compensation for what your child has gone through.