ArticleBJS open2021
Litigation in breast surgery: unique insights from the English National Health Service experience.
Article in BJS open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Litigation and Complications Arising from Aesthetic Body Surgery: A Systematic Review.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2026Pooled it
- Economic claims following chronic pain after inguinal hernia repair.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2026Article
- Medico-legal patterns of cosmetic malpractice: a comparative analysis of complaints and judicial outcomes between licensed and unlicensed providers in Shiraz, Iran.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Civil medical liability in general surgery: A systematic review.Surgery open science · 2026Review
- Litigation trends within rheumatology: a retrospective analysis of claims data from England for the Getting It Right First Time programme.Rheumatology advances in practice · 2026Article
- Current Irish medicolegal landscape: an unsustainable trajectory.BMJ open quality · 2023Review
- Impact of procedure type on revisional surgery and secondary reconstruction after immediate breast reconstruction in a population-based cohort.The British journal of surgery · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe increase in medical negligence claims against the National Health Service (NHS) over the past decade has had a detrimental impact on limited financial and human resources that could otherwise be available for direct clinical care. The aim of this study was to review litigation claims in breast surgery as part of the national Getting It Right First Time quality improvement initiative, with the aim of identifying opportunities to improve clinical practice and patient safety.
methodsAll general and plastic surgical claims notified to NHS Resolution between April 2012 and April 2018 were reviewed. Claims related specifically to breast surgery were retrieved manually, and case summaries were analysed independently by two breast surgeons.
resultsFrom 6915 claims, 449 relating to breast surgery were identified and reviewed. The mean(s.d.) claimant age was 46(13) years. The median number of claims over the 6-year period per NHS trust was 2 (range 0-22). The most frequent causes of litigation were dissatisfaction with cosmetic outcome (121 claims, 26.9 per cent) and patient-reported delays in diagnosis (121, 26.9 per cent). A large proportion of claims related to breast implant surgery (78, 17.4 per cent), and issues regarding consent/communication were common (69, 15.4 per cent). The estimated annual cost of breast surgery litigation claims ranged from £5.57 to £9.59 million (€6.35-11.02 million).
conclusionPatient-reported delays in diagnosis and dissatisfaction with cosmetic outcome are the most common causes of litigation related to breast surgery. These key themes should be the focus for workforce learning, with the aim of improving patient care and experience.
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