Medical malpractice in Italy: how frequent are doctors’ errors?
In Italy there has been much discussion, especially in recent months, about the public health situation and the need for more resources to deal not only with the health emergency, but in general to protect the health of all citizens.
Unfortunately, health errors, i.e. those committed by doctors, nurses or other medical personnel, are quite frequent in Italy (as indeed in other countries, according to statistics). This is why the contribution of thePeriplo Familiare association that protects victims of medical malpractice is important, responsible for the infographic dedicated to this phenomenon that you can look at at the end of the article.
“Medical malpractice in Italy” is the title of the infographic that illustrates the updated statistics on the type of health errors and the cost they have for the State.
Thanks to this data, it is possible to understandhow and where to interveneto ensure effective health services and at the same time allow doctors to work to the best of their ability.
According to statistics for 2019, there are 300,000 pending cases against doctors and health facilities (those directed to private facilities are also included in the calculation), while claims for compensation for biological damage are 35,000 each year.
What is biological damage?
According to Italian law, biological damage is an injury, in the physical or in the psyche, which must be compensated since physical integrity is a good guaranteed by the Constitution. These are damages of a non-pecuniary nature that can also be permanent (this also includes death), so they can be compensated if liability is recognized, in the case of medical malpractice, doctors or other health personnel.
Regarding the types, the most frequent is that related to surgical activity (38.4% of cases), followed by incorrect diagnoses (20.7%), errors committed during therapy (10.8%) and finally infections (6.7%, nosocomial infections are the most widespread).
Specifically, the departments where the most accidents occur are orthopedics and traumatology (20.3%), general surgery (12.9%), within the emergency room (12.6%) and in obstetrics and gynecology (10.9%).
All this has a cost for the State and therefore for the whole community. It is estimated that the average cost for each claim compensated is € 96,831, a figure up by 4% that worries for the future.
What could happen if action is not taken to reduce cases of medical malpractice and better protect both doctors and patients?
What is the impact of medical malpractice?
There are two aspects that make us understand the dramatic consequences of medical malpractice: avoidable deaths (the average calculated rate is 69.93 per 100,000 inhabitants), i.e. deaths attributable to health errors and the economic impact, equal to 22.5 million euros per year, 15% of national health expenditure.
At this point the comparison with foreign countries is inevitable, to understand in which areas it is necessary to invest to prevent medical errors and make better use of the resources available.
In Italy the beds are 3.2 per 1000 inhabitants (the EU average is 5), doctors are 4 per 1000 (3.6 in the EU) and nurses 5.8 per 1000 (8.5 in the EU), it should also be taken into account that the average age of health personnel, in Italy, is high: more than half are over 55 and will retire within the next 10 years.
This means that the shortage of doctors will worsen and this could also lead to an increase in medical malpractice cases. For this reason it is urgent to remedy and combat this kind of mistakes by exploiting all the resources that can strengthen Italian health. Never before should this be a guiding principle for those who have institutional responsibilities.
She defines herself as curious by nature. In 2006 she graduated with honors in Biotechnology at the Sapienza University of Rome. Between 2005 and 2009, she carried out a university internship and research activity in the field of tumor immunotherapy. She is a co-author of three scientific publications. Since 2007 you have associated your passion for science with that for the web, starting the management of the FitnessEquilibrium.com project.