MALPRACTICE LAWSUITS IN DIFFERENT MEDICAL SPECIALTIES IN CHILE

One hundred forty five cases of medical liability lawsuits originating in Chile from January 1987 to June 1991 and studied at the Medico Legal Service, were reviewed. A persistent increase in the number of accusations is observed in these five years. The principal medical specialties involved are Obstetrics and Gynecology (32%), General Surgery (18%), Internal Medicine (15%) and Pediatrics (9%). Seventy seven percent of implicated physicians were accredited specialists. Fifty percent of cases originated from Santiago and 60% from public hospitals. Eighty three percent of analyzed medical records were complete and in 70% the number of laboratory tests requested was adequate. The most frequent conditions that motivated lawsuits were acute fetal distress and puerperal sepsis in Obstetrics and Gynecology, acute abdomen and intraoperatory cardiac arrests in Surgery and sepsis in Internal Medicine. The risk of an unfavorable consequence that may lead to a lawsuit is present in every clinical condition, even in seemingly simple situations.