Ärztepfusch High number of treatment errors

Appraisals evaluated on thousands of suspected treatment errors

15/05/2013

The Medical Services of Health Insurance (MDK) has published its current evaluation of suspected treatment errors from 2012. According to this, around 12,500 reports on suspected treatment errors were compiled by the MDK in 2012. In about one third of the cases, the allegations of the patients proved to be justified, according to the MDK. Given the persistently high number of treatment errors, there is an urgent need to take appropriate countermeasures. „The almost unchanged number of allegations and confirmed treatment errors shows that there is still a need for action“, emphasized the vice-director of the medical service of the top federation federation of the health insurance companies, Stefan Gronemeyer.

Most often, patients complain after surgery about suspected treatment errors, wherein „the surgical subjects of orthopedics / accident surgery and general surgery are particularly affected“ are, reports the MDK in its current press release. Even in dentistry, internal medicine and gynecology would be increasingly suspected treatment errors. However, be „a high number of allegations can not be equated with a high number of actual errors“, explained the senior doctor of social medicine of the MDK Bavaria, Prof. Dr. med. Astrid Zobel. So would „In terms of the number of allegations most errors in nursing, in dentistry and in gynecology confirmed.“ For root canal treatment and the use of an artificial hip and knee joint, according to the current MDK statistics, the most frequent treatment errors occur.

No conclusions on the quality of treatment possible?
Although the high number of treatment errors creates a certain pressure to act, according to the experts, no premature conclusions should be drawn here on the quality of treatment. „We can detect error heaps in certain areas. However, this does not allow any conclusion on the overall quality of treatment, since neither the total number of treatments nor the number of treatment errors are known“, emphasized Prof. Astrid Zobel. For the patients, the expert support by the MDK in the case of suspected treatment errors is particularly important. Only with the help of independent medical expertise would those affected have a chance to enforce their claims for compensation, Dr. Stefan Gronemeyer. The MDK can do it „Clarity and safety for injured patients.“

One third of the suspected treatment errors confirmed
In 2012, exactly 12,483 MDK reports on suspected treatment errors were compiled. In 31.5 percent of the reports (3,932 cases) a treatment error was confirmed, the current figures of the MDK. Much of the allegation (8,607 cases) was directed against hospitals, with 30 percent of the reports confirming patients' allegations. A total of 3,872 appraisals were made on presumptive treatment errors by physicians in private practice. The rate of confirmed treatment errors was slightly higher than the general average at 36 per cent. For years, the number of treatment errors has been discussed and possibilities for improved patient protection have been considered. Preliminary result was the new patient rights law, which in the opinion of Dr. med. However, Gronemeyer has only partially improved the situation of those affected with suspected treatment errors. „From the perspective of the patients, it remains unsatisfactory that the law has not brought a new distribution of the burden of proof between the practitioner and the patient“, stressed Gronemeyer. (Fp)