Table 1

Severity level and main causes of medical errors resolved by court in Spain and Massachusetts

SpainMassachusetts
% (95%CI)% (95%CI)p-value
n=270n=274
Severity<0.001*
 Low12.6 (8.6 to 16.6)3.3 (1.2 to 5.4)
 Medium28.5 (23.1 to 33.9)29.6 (24.2 to 35.0)
 High58.9 (53.0 to 64.8)67.2 (61.6 to 72.8)
Contributory factors0.001*
 Medical treatment19.3 (14.6 to 24.0)10.6 (6.9 to 14.2)
 Obstetrics-related treatment15.9 (11.6 to 20.3)11.7 (7.9 to 15.5)
 Surgical treatment22.2 (17.3 to 27.2)21.9 (17.0 to 26.8)
 Anaesthesia-related treatment1.8 (0.2 to 3.5)4.0 (1.7 to 6.3)
 Diagnosis-related25.2 (20.7 to 31.1)35.0 (29.4 to 40.7)
 Medication-related4.4 (2.0 to 6.9)7.7 (4.5 to 10.8)
 Others10.0 (6.4 to 13.6)9.1 (5.7 to 12.5)
  • 2 Test.