ReviewEFORT open reviews2021
Litigations in trauma and orthopaedic surgery: analysis and outcomes of medicolegal claims during the last 10 years in the United Kingdom National Health Service.
Review in EFORT open reviews, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed.
- Improving GIRFT compliance and patient experience of accessibility and shared decision making for elective hip and knee replacement: incorporation of a digital patient information leaflet.BMJ open quality · 2026Article
- Ten years of clinical negligence claims in otolaryngology: trends, costs, and preventable harm in the UK national health service.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026Article
- Fifteen Years of Orthopedic Malpractice Litigation in Türkiye: A Supreme Court Analysis and International Comparison.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Review
- Why do orthopaedic surgeons get sued? An analysis of £2.2 billion in claims against NHS England: trends in litigation and strategies to enhance care.Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery · 2025Article
- Leg Length Discrepancy After Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Review of Clinical Assessments, Imaging Diagnostics, and Medico-Legal Implications.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- A Bibliometric Analysis of the Top 50 Most Cited Articles on Iatrogenic Nerve Injuries of the Upper Limb Following Surgery.Journal of brachial plexus and peripheral nerve injury · 2025Review
- Unlocking the Potential of Underutilized Technology: A New Paradigm for Resident Doctor Efficiency.Cureus · 2024Article
- Preoperative Workup of Operative Hip Fracture Patients: A Survey.HSS journal : the musculoskeletal journal of Hospital for Special Surgery · 2024Article
- Alleged Malpractice in Orthopedic Surgery in The Netherlands: Lessons Learned from Medical Disciplinary Jurisprudence.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Improving Orthopedic Documentation Using Post-Operative Note Proformas: A Quality Improvement Study.Cureus · 2023Article
- Investigation of litigation in trauma orthopaedic surgery.World journal of clinical cases · 2023Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This study analyses the outcomes of litigation claims in trauma and orthopaedic surgery between 2008/2009 and 2018/2019.Utilizing a formal request to the NHS Resolution under the Freedom of Information Act, the data related to claims against orthopaedic surgery were obtained. A total of 8548 claims were analysed and re-grouped to perform a meaningful analysis for the type of claims and the type of injuries.The total pay-out cost for the settled claims was over £1.2 billion. The most common types of claims were related to mismanagement (39.0%), diagnostic issues (17.6%), perioperative issues (15.9%) and alleged incompetence (10.2%). The most common primary causes for claims were patients' dissatisfaction (52.2%), damage to the limbs (19.0%) and neurological injuries (9.2%).The highest amounts of damages paid out were related to patients' dissatisfaction (37.7%), burns and bruising (31.0%), neurological injuries (24.5%) and damage to the limbs (22.3%). The number of claims and the pay-out cost were found to be steadily increasing; however, there was a slightly declining trend observed during the last two years.The cost of litigation continues to have a significant financial impact on the NHS. The recent declining trend is encouraging; however, surgeons need to take consistent diligent steps to avoid preventable causes that lead to litigation claims.The proposed change in the coding system of claims in the NHS Resolution will not only help to formulate a clear classification system but will also improve the learning from previous experience. Cite this article:
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