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Chapter 70 - Legal Considerations in Obstetric Practice

from Section 8 - Public Health Issues in Obstetrics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2021

By
George Gregory Buttigieg
Edited by
Tahir Mahmood ,
Charles Savona Ventura ,
Ioannis Messinis  and
Sambit Mukhopadhyay
Tahir Mahmood
Affiliation:
Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy
Charles Savona Ventura
Affiliation:
University of Malta, Malta
Ioannis Messinis
Affiliation:
University of Thessaly, Greece
Sambit Mukhopadhyay
Affiliation:
Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital, UK
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Summary

The popular connotation that obstetrics is the hardest hit by the suing epidemic is often true. The UK’s £1.7 billion payout for obstetric negligence in 2016/17 also reflects that much of the ‘epidemic’ does in fact involve avoidable mishaps [1]. Furthermore, it is not infrequent for the perception of malpractice to underlie legal litigation and this often implies poor communication between obstetrician and patient. Legal confrontation is not automatically synonymous with medical injury or medical error. In a series of 1452 closed malpractice claims, 3% of patients had no verifiable medical injuries [2]. Why patients sue obstetricians is a question very worth asking. One fact is certain: most obstetricians need to raise constructive awareness (as distinct from defensive practice) of the legal aspects of their practice.

Type
Chapter
Information
The EBCOG Postgraduate Textbook of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Obstetrics & Maternal-Fetal Medicine
 , pp. 569 - 575
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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