Descriptive analysis of medical negligence claims in septicemia patients: a review of Indian National Consumer Court judgments
Background, Aims, and Objectives: Patients admitted to intensive care units are at a higher risk of experiencing medical errors and have an increased likelihood of developing septicemia. Due to the high mortality associated with sepsis, doctors are more frequently sued for negligence. Patients all...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2024-07-01
|
| Series: | MGM Journal of Medical Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.lww.com/mgmj/fulltext/2024/11030/descriptive_analysis_of_medical_negligence_claims.3.aspx |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1846172741160402944 |
|---|---|
| author | Aakash A Sethi Kalpita K. Shringarpure |
| author_facet | Aakash A Sethi Kalpita K. Shringarpure |
| author_sort | Aakash A Sethi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background, Aims, and Objectives:
Patients admitted to intensive care units are at a higher risk of experiencing medical errors and have an increased likelihood of developing septicemia. Due to the high mortality associated with sepsis, doctors are more frequently sued for negligence. Patients alleging medical negligence in India can seek compensation through the National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission (NCDRC). This study aims to analyze NCDRC cases where patients suffering from septicemia filed for negligence. In medical negligence cases filed by patients suffering from Septicemia, the objective is to find out the court’s outcome/verdict, the pattern of monetary compensation involved in the case, the legal standard of accepted care in the management of septicemia, and ways in which doctors can protect themselves from negligence claims, etc.
Materials and Methods:
This is a record review study in which judgments were obtained from www.scconline.com. The final analysis included cases where patients were diagnosed with sepsis based on medical records or postmortem reports. Qualitative data is presented as percentages, while quantitative data is expressed as a median with an interquartile range. Fisher’s exact test was used to compare qualitative variables.
Results:
A total of 34 judgments met the inclusion criteria, with the court ruling in favor of doctors in only eight cases. Surgical intervention (11 cases, 32.3%) was the most common cause of sepsis, followed by abdominal infection (14.7%). The outcome of the cases was not influenced by whether the doctor or patient initiated the lawsuit (Fisher exact probability = 0.49).
Conclusion:
The NCDRC found doctors negligent in most cases where patients with septicemia sued. Eventful surgery was identified as the most common cause of sepsis. The study suggests that doctors can protect themselves by promptly diagnosing post-surgical injuries to intra-abdominal organs and preventing the spread of local infections. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6c7686b8803e4015b9ce21b51f4fa9f4 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2347-7962 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-07-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | MGM Journal of Medical Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-6c7686b8803e4015b9ce21b51f4fa9f42024-11-09T06:12:08ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsMGM Journal of Medical Sciences2347-79622024-07-0111339640210.4103/mgmj.mgmj_127_24Descriptive analysis of medical negligence claims in septicemia patients: a review of Indian National Consumer Court judgmentsAakash A SethiKalpita K. ShringarpureBackground, Aims, and Objectives: Patients admitted to intensive care units are at a higher risk of experiencing medical errors and have an increased likelihood of developing septicemia. Due to the high mortality associated with sepsis, doctors are more frequently sued for negligence. Patients alleging medical negligence in India can seek compensation through the National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission (NCDRC). This study aims to analyze NCDRC cases where patients suffering from septicemia filed for negligence. In medical negligence cases filed by patients suffering from Septicemia, the objective is to find out the court’s outcome/verdict, the pattern of monetary compensation involved in the case, the legal standard of accepted care in the management of septicemia, and ways in which doctors can protect themselves from negligence claims, etc. Materials and Methods: This is a record review study in which judgments were obtained from www.scconline.com. The final analysis included cases where patients were diagnosed with sepsis based on medical records or postmortem reports. Qualitative data is presented as percentages, while quantitative data is expressed as a median with an interquartile range. Fisher’s exact test was used to compare qualitative variables. Results: A total of 34 judgments met the inclusion criteria, with the court ruling in favor of doctors in only eight cases. Surgical intervention (11 cases, 32.3%) was the most common cause of sepsis, followed by abdominal infection (14.7%). The outcome of the cases was not influenced by whether the doctor or patient initiated the lawsuit (Fisher exact probability = 0.49). Conclusion: The NCDRC found doctors negligent in most cases where patients with septicemia sued. Eventful surgery was identified as the most common cause of sepsis. The study suggests that doctors can protect themselves by promptly diagnosing post-surgical injuries to intra-abdominal organs and preventing the spread of local infections.https://journals.lww.com/mgmj/fulltext/2024/11030/descriptive_analysis_of_medical_negligence_claims.3.aspxdeath due to sepsis; death in icu; descriptive study; medical negligence in critical care; standard of care in icu |
| spellingShingle | Aakash A Sethi Kalpita K. Shringarpure Descriptive analysis of medical negligence claims in septicemia patients: a review of Indian National Consumer Court judgments MGM Journal of Medical Sciences death due to sepsis; death in icu; descriptive study; medical negligence in critical care; standard of care in icu |
| title | Descriptive analysis of medical negligence claims in septicemia patients: a review of Indian National Consumer Court judgments |
| title_full | Descriptive analysis of medical negligence claims in septicemia patients: a review of Indian National Consumer Court judgments |
| title_fullStr | Descriptive analysis of medical negligence claims in septicemia patients: a review of Indian National Consumer Court judgments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Descriptive analysis of medical negligence claims in septicemia patients: a review of Indian National Consumer Court judgments |
| title_short | Descriptive analysis of medical negligence claims in septicemia patients: a review of Indian National Consumer Court judgments |
| title_sort | descriptive analysis of medical negligence claims in septicemia patients a review of indian national consumer court judgments |
| topic | death due to sepsis; death in icu; descriptive study; medical negligence in critical care; standard of care in icu |
| url | https://journals.lww.com/mgmj/fulltext/2024/11030/descriptive_analysis_of_medical_negligence_claims.3.aspx |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT aakashasethi descriptiveanalysisofmedicalnegligenceclaimsinsepticemiapatientsareviewofindiannationalconsumercourtjudgments AT kalpitakshringarpure descriptiveanalysisofmedicalnegligenceclaimsinsepticemiapatientsareviewofindiannationalconsumercourtjudgments |