[Analysis of judicial sentences issued against traumatologists between 1995 and 2011 as regards medical negligence]. / Análisis de sentencias judiciales relativas a negligencias médicas emitidas contra traumatólogos entre 1995 y 2011.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Traumatology and Orthopaedic Surgery is one of the specialities with most complaints due to its scope and complexity. The aim of this study is to determine the characteristics of the complaints made against medical specialists in Traumatology, taking into account those variables that might have an influence both on the presenting of the complaint as well as on the resolving of the process. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An analysis was performed on 303 legal judgments (1995-2011) collected in the health legal judgements archive of the Madrid School of Medicine, which is linked to the Westlaw Aranzadi data base. RESULTS: Civil jurisdiction was the most used. The specific processes with most complaints were bone-joint disorders followed by vascular-nerve problems and infections. The injury claimed against most was in the lower limb, particularly the knee. The most frequent general cause of complaint was surgical treatment error, followed by diagnostic error. There was lack of information in 14.9%. There was sentencing in 49.8% of the cases, with compensation mainly being less than 50,000 euros. CONCLUSIONS: Traumatology and Orthopaedic Surgery is a speciality prone to complaints due to malpractice. The number of sentences against traumatologists is high, but compensations are usually less than 50,000 euros. The main reason for sentencing is surgical treatment error; thus being the basic surgical procedure and where precautions should be maximised. The judgements due to lack of information are high, with adequate doctor-patient communication being essential as well as the correct completion of the informed consent.

Proposal for a 'surgical checklist' for ambulatory oral surgery.

The authors propose a new checklist model adapted for ambulatory oral surgery procedures based on the 'surgical checklist' proposed by the WHO. The proposed document contains 18 items divided into two sets: those that must be verified before beginning surgery and those that must be verified after its completion, but prior to the patient's departure from the site where the surgery is performed. A checklist is an easy-to-use tool that requires little time but provides order, logic and systematization taking into account certain basic concepts to increase the level of patient safety. The authors think that the result is a checklist that is easy to complete and ensures that key patient safety-related matters are dealt with in this field of surgery.