Professional liability claims and central association of obstetricians and gynecologists members: Myth versus reality

Objective: The purpose of this study was to survey members of the Central Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists about professional liability claims. Study design: A survey was mailed to Central Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists members regarding medical liability experience. Results: Of the 897 surveys mailed, 73% were completed. The responding 658 clinicians had been in practice for 17,136 years and had 1507 closed claims. The respondents had a claim every 11 years of practice and a trial every 69 years. Matched for years of practice, a case control comparison indicated that the litigation is significantly lower for female physicians (1.5 +/- 1.8) than for male physicians (2.2 +/- 2.0; P = .019) although the mean cases that were dropped or dismissed were higher for men (1.3 +/- 1.7 vs 0.8 +/- 1.4; P = .022). However, the mean number of trials, defense trial verdicts, and the settlement amounts were similar for both genders. Conclusion: We found that professional liability claims are uncommon and that the gender of the obstetrician-gynecologist influences the litigation profile. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.