Fewer malpractice claims than feared.(News)

WASHINGTON -- Malpractice claims against obstetricians are much less common than most of them fear, based on results of a survey of almost 700 ob.gyns, Suneet Chauhan, M.D., reported at the annual meeting of the Central Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

He surveyed 658 association members to assess their experiences with litigation and determine whether there was any identifiable difference between those who had been sued for malpractice and those who had not. The Central Association comprises more than 1,000 physicians practicing in 29 states in the central portion of the United States, from Nevada in the west to West Virginia in the east.

About 75% of the respondents were generalist ob.gyns., and they were equally divided between those who practiced individually or in small groups and those who worked in large group practices. The respondents reported a mean of 26.7 years in practice.

"Overall, these physicians had 17,136 years of clinical experience," said Dr. Chauhan, of Spartanburg (S.C.) Regional Medical Center.

The physicians reported 1,507 closed claims against them, and there were an additional 72 claims still pending or unsettled at the time of the survey. A total of 144 respondents (22%) had never had any malpractice claim filed against them.

"Only 28% of these claims required settlement on behalf of the physician. Only 16% went to trial, and three fourths of those were found in favor of the physician. In all, 52% of these claims were settled with no payment whatsoever on behalf of the physician," he said.

Using the data he obtained from the survey, Dr. Chauhan calculated that "the average clinician who is a member of the Central Association must practice 11 years before encountering a single claim against him or her. They would have to practice 70 years before one case ...