Survey shows most Ohio doctors will be sued for medical malpracice

A recent survey found that more than 60% of doctors over the age of 55 have been sued for medical malpractice at least once in their career.
 
The survey which was funded by the AMA and more than 40 national medical specialty associations looked at 5,825 physicians across the United States. Doctors were asked about the number of claims filed against them in their career and over the previous year. The survey did not ask about the outcome of those claims.
 
Although most of those claims are dropped or dismissed, the survey shows that most physicians will be sued for malpractice at some point in their career. An average of 95 medical malpractice lawsuits have been filed for every 100 physicians currently practicing. However, only about 5% of physicians are sued in any given year.
 
According to the survey, doctors in certain specialties are more than five times more likely to be sued than other doctors. The survey found that half of obstetricians and gynecologists under the age of 40 had already been sued at least once. Ninety percent of surgeons age 55 and older had been sued. In comparison, fewer than 30% of pediatricians and psychiatrists had ever been sued. 
 
Previous studies have found that at least one in every one hundred hospital patients experiences a potentially life-threatening medical mistake.
 
If you believe you are a victim of Ohio medical malpractice and would like to know more about your rights, contact the Akron serious injury attorneys at Chester Law Group.