It is well known that quality of medical care correlates poorly with the filing of malpractice lawsuits, as illustrated in the conclusion of the landmark Harvard study that “medical malpractice litigation infrequently compensates patients injured by medical negligence and rarely identifies, and holds providers accountable for, substandard care.”5 The authors estimated that there was only 1 malpractice claim for every 7.6 adverse events caused by negligence.
In another retrospective chart review study, the quality of treatment as judged by independent peer review was no different in frequently sued versus never-sued obstetricians.6
Communication problems exist in more than 70% of malpractice cases, centering around four themes: 1) deserting the patient; 2) devaluing patient/family views; 3) delivering information poorly; and 4) failing to understand the patient/family perspective.7
Anger, either from the adverse result itself or perceived lack of caring, turns an injured patient into a plaintiff, and lies at the root of all malpractice claims. The patients may not even have a serious injury or a meritorious claim, but they are so frustrated with their physician or the hospital that they contact an attorney to vent their anger.
One experienced attorney volunteered that close to half his malpractice cases could have been avoided through disclosure or apology, noting: “What the patients really wanted was simply an honest explanation of what happened, and, if appropriate, an apology. Unfortunately, when they were not only offered neither, but were rejected as well, they felt doubly wronged and then sought legal counsel.”8
Communicating well begins with active listening. Patients want their doctors to listen to them and to explain their conditions and treatment plans in simple, understandable language. The physician should give them ample opportunity to tell their story and to ask questions.
In one well-publicized study, only 23% of patients were able to complete their opening statement before the doctor interrupted, which occurred, on the average, 18 seconds after the patient began to speak!9
References
1. N Engl J Med. 2016 Jan 28;374(4):354-62.
2. “Medical liability: By late career, 61% of doctors have been sued,” Aug. 16, 2010, American Medical News.
4. “Law & Medicine: Health care costs and defensive medicine,” Jan. 19, 2016, Internal Medicine News.
5. N Engl J Med. 1991 Jul 25;325(4):245-51.
6. JAMA. 1994 Nov 23-30;272(20):1588-91.
7. Arch Intern Med. 1994 Jun 27;154(12):1365-70.
8. Ann Intern Med. 1999 Dec 21;131(12):970-2.
9. Ann Intern Med. 1984 Nov;101(5):692-6.
Dr. Tan is emeritus professor of medicine and former adjunct professor of law at the University of Hawaii, and currently directs the St. Francis International Center for Healthcare Ethics in Honolulu. This article is meant to be educational and does not constitute medical, ethical, or legal advice. Some of the articles in this series are adapted from the author’s 2006 book, “Medical Malpractice: Understanding the Law, Managing the Risk,” and his 2012 Halsbury treatise, “Medical Negligence and Professional Misconduct.” For additional information, readers may contact the author at siang@hawaii.edu