Differences in physician, patient and event characteristics by type of resolution, 2005–2009
| Settlement, % (95% CI) n=56 850 | Judgement, % (95% CI) n=1817 | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All claims | 96.9 (96.8 to 97.0) | 3.1 (3.0 to 3.2) | |
| Physician's age | 0.010* | ||
| <30 | 0.7 (0.5 to 0.6) | 0.5 (0.2 to 0.8) | |
| 30–49 | 54.8 (54.3 to 55.2) | 58.5 (56.2 to 60.7) | |
| 50–69 | 42.2 (41.8 to 42.6) | 39.2 (36.9 to 41.4) | |
| ≥70 | 2.5 (2.4 to 2.7) | 1.8 (1.2 to 2.5) | |
| Prior malpractice reports in NPDB | 0.023* | ||
| No | 42.5 (42.1 to 42.9) | 39.9 (37.6 to 42.1) | |
| Yes | 57.5 (57.1 to 57.9) | 60.2 (57.9 to 62.4) | |
| Prior other (non-malpractice) reports in NPDB | 0.088 | ||
| No | 87.6 (87.3 to 87.9) | 88.9 (12.1 to 12.7) | |
| Yes | 12.4 (87.5 to 90.4) | 11.1 (9.6 to 12.5) | |
| Relation of malpractice payer | <0.001* | ||
| Private insurance | 84.7 (84.3 to 85.0) | 80.7 (78.9 to 82.6) | |
| Self-insured organisation | 9.5 (9.2 to 9.7) | 9.9 (8.5 to 11.2) | |
| State medical malpractice payment | 5.9 (5.7 to 6.1) | 9.4 (8.1 to 10.8) | |
| Patient's age | <0.001* | ||
| ≥80 | 2.6 (2.5 to 2.7) | 1.1 (0.6 to 1.6) | |
| 60–79 | 13.7 (13.4 to 14.0) | 11.2 (9.8 to 12.7) | |
| 40–59 | 24.2 (23.8 to 24.6) | 28.7 (26.6 to 30.9) | |
| 20–39 | 37.5 (37.1 to 37.8) | 38.1 (35.8 to 40.4) | |
| 0–19 | 20.1 (19.8 to 20.4) | 18.1 (16.3 to 19.9) | |
| Fetus | 2.0 (1.9 to 2.1) | 2.7 (2.0 to 3.5) | |
| Patient's sex | 0.094 | ||
| Female | 55.7 (55.3 to 56.1) | 57.7 (55.4 to 60.0) | |
| Male | 44.3 (43.9 to 44.7) | 42.3 (40.0 to 44.6) | |
| Event type | <0.001* | ||
| Diagnostic | 32.3 (31.9 to 32.7) | 28.5 (26.4 to 30.5) | |
| Surgical | 25.8 (25.5 to 26.2) | 35.0 (32.8 to 37.1) | |
| Treatment/medication | 24.4 (24.0 to 24.7) | 20.1 (18.3 to 22.0) | |
| Obstetrics | 8.2 (8.0 to 8.5) | 8.8 (7.5 to 10.1) | |
| Other | 9.3 (9.0 to 9.5) | 7.7 (6.4 to 8.9) | |
| Setting | <0.001* | ||
| Inpatient | 46.7 (46.3 to 47.1) | 47.7 (45.4 to 50.0) | |
| Outpatient | 40.2 (39.8 to 40.6) | 38.0 (35.7 to 40.2) | |
| Both | 9.2 (8.9 to 9.4) | 11.7 (10.2 to 13.2) | |
| Unknown | 4.0 (3.8 to 4.1) | 2.6 (1.9 to 3.4) | |
| Outcome | <0.001* | ||
| Death | 33.0 (32.7 to 33.4) | 27.1 (25.1 to 29.1) | |
| Quadriplegic/brain damage/lifelong care | 5.4 (5.2 to 5.6) | 3.7 (2.8 to 4.6) | |
| Significant or major injury | 36.5 (36.1 to 36.9) | 42.5 (40.2 to 44.8) | |
| Minor or insignificant injury | 23.4 (23.1 to 23.8) | 24.8 (22.8 to 26.8) | |
| Emotional injury only | 1.7 (1.6 to 1.8) | 1.8 (1.2 to 2.5) |
NPDB, National Practitioner Data Bank. *p<0.05