They say learning what has come before us is the key to preventing the bad parts of history from repeating themselves. Since statistics typically represent historical data trends, then learning about statistics can help to identify where the most significant issues arise and what can be done to help alleviate them in the future.
Read on to learn some statistics about pediatric malpractice.
The Data
For research purposes, pediatric patients are divided into the following four age groups:
- Neonate
- Younger than one month
- First Year
- One through 11 months
- Child
- One through nine years old
- Teenager
- 10 through 17 years old
Diagnosis-Related Cases Tend to Remain High
For all pediatric patients except neonates, diagnosis-related cases (such as failure, delay, or wrong) have continued to soar year after year. Over the past decade, these cases have ranged from 29-47% of overall pediatric malpractice cases.
There Is a Downward Trend In Pediatric Lawsuits
Since 1987, studies have shown a moderate downward trend in the number of pediatricians who report having had one or more lawsuits or claims filed against them. In 1990, there was an all-time high of 33% of pediatricians reporting that they’d had a lawsuit filed against them. By 2015, that rate dropped to 21%.
More Male Pediatricians Report Having Lawsuits Filed Against Them Than Female
In three categories, male pediatricians report having more malpractice claims filed against them than female pediatricians. Consider the following data:
- General Pediatrics
- 15% Female
- 35% Male
- Hospital-Based Pediatric Subspecialty
- 26% Female
- 42% Male
- Non-hospital-based Pediatric Subspecialty
- 15% Female
- 33% Male
If Your Child Has Been Injured, We Want To Help
Pediatric malpractice doesn’t always happen, but when it does, it’s important that negligent parties are held accountable for their actions. If your child has been hurt as a result of pediatric malpractice, we want to see that justice is served on your behalf.
Contact our experienced attorneys at Cherundolo Law Firm, PLLC today by calling (315) 544-3332 or by filling out our online contact form.
