Medical Malpractice and Childbirth

Medical malpractice and Childbirth:

Childbirth is a very risky medical procedure. The risk of a poor outcome for mother or child is high relative to many other medical procedures. Poor outcomes that can result from childbirth include fetal death, stillbirth, maternal death, birth injury, birth defects, brain damage (e.g. cerebral palsy), neonatal infection, maternal infections, and numerous other issues. Not surprisingly, the rate of medical malpractice involving childbirth and birth injury is higher than many other medical areas.

One study reported of childbirth and medical malpractice found a lack of oxygen in 59.8% of cases, 26.0% bowel movement in utero, 20.5% baby too large for vaginal canal, 14.2% entangled umbilical, and many other possible causes (Suing for Medical Malpractice, Sloan et al, 1993).

Misdiagnosis is surprisingly a reasonably common cause of medical malpractice involving birth injury. In one study, 9.5% of medical malpractice cases involving birth injury involved principal allegations of failure to diagnose (no diagnosis) and 4.7% involved misdiagnosis with a wrong diagnosis (Suing for Medical Malpractice, Sloan et al, 1993). Misdiagnosis could involve failure to identify contagious diseases which the neonate might contract during pregnancy or childbirth (e.g. genital herpes, neonatal lupus, etc.) or the mother's medical conditions (e.g. pre-eclampsia, Rh incompatibility, hypoglycemia, anemia, gestational diabetes, etc.). Failure to diagnose fetal distress is also a reasonably common allegation in such medical malpractice cases. Failure to diagnose the pregnancy itself is also a surprising possibility.

Medical errors and malpractice for Childbirth: medical news summaries for Childbirth:

The following medical news items are relevant to the medical errors (including malpractice) for Childbirth:

• $3 million won in case against obstetrician/gynecologist and midwife
• Birth complications lead to $4million settlement
• Cesarean birth ends in tragedy after medical mistake
• Delay in birth causes severe brain damage
• Delivery complications result in $23.8 million payout
• Doctor guilty for stillbirth
• Doctors ignored unborn baby’s weak heartbeat resulting in severe damage
• Family set to receive $10 million after bungled birth leaves daughter severely handicapped
• Half of $118,000 settlement over baby's death eaten up by costs
• Husband fails in lawsuit over wife's death following a sudden birth
• King/Drew hospital allegedly suffers from serious patient safety problems
• Malpractice case fails
• Midwife sued over brain damaged infant
• Mother receives $8,269.50 for allegedly botched birth leading to brain damage
• New mother dies from midwife's error
• Newborn accidentally given methadone milk
• Obstetrician cleared of negligence in cerebral palsy case
• Obstetrics and litigation backlash
• Settlement reached in case where stillborn baby disposed of as hospital waste
• Stillborn delivery leads to $375,000 settlement
• More news »

Medical malpractice statistics for Childbirth:

The following are statistics from various sources about medical malpractice and Childbirth:

• Medical malpractice lawsuit payment statistics for obstetrics malpractice in the USA:
  • 1,129 medical malpractice payments were made due to obstetrics related malpractice in the US 2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • $497,121 was the mean medical malpractice payments made due to obstetrics related malpractice in the US 2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • $265,000 was the median medical malpractice payments made due to obstetrics related malpractice in the US 2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • 15,516 medical malpractice payments were made due to obstetrics related malpractice in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • $369,543 was the mean medical malpractice payments made due to obstetrics related malpractice in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • $200,000 was the median medical malpractice payments made due to obstetrics related malpractice in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
• Medical malpractice lawsuit payment statistics for Obstetrics malpractice in the USA:
  • There was a 5.56 year mean time delay between obstetrics related malpractice incident and payment in the US 2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • There was a 4.63 year median time delay between obstetrics related malpractice incident and payment in the US 2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
• Medical malpractice lawsuit payment statistics for obstetrics malpractice and nursing malpractice in the USA:
  • 264 obstetrics related malpractice payment reports were made against registered nurses in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • 8 obstetrics related malpractice payment reports were made against nurse anaesthetists in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • 281 obstetrics related malpractice payment reports were made against nurse midwives in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • 15 obstetrics related malpractice payment reports were made against nurse practitioners in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • 0 obstetrics related malpractice payment reports were made against advanced nurse practitioners in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
• Medical malpractice lawsuit statistics for obstetrics malpractice in the USA:
  • There were 8,428 obstetrics related primary malpractice acts or omissions in the US 1990-96 (The National Practitioner Data Bank Public Use File)
  • 7% of primary malpractice acts or omissions were obstetrics related in the US 1990-96 (The National Practitioner Data Bank Public Use File)
  • $2,824,280,036 in payments were made for obstetrics related primary malpractice acts or omissions in the US 1990-96 (The National Practitioner Data Bank Public Use File)
• Medical malpractice lawsuit statistics for midwife malpractice in the USA:
  • 445 medical malpractice reports were made to the National Practitioner Databank regarding nurse midwife in the US 1990-2004 (NPDB Summary Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • 10 medical malpractice reports were made to the National Practitioner Databank regarding lay midwives in the US 1990-2004 (NPDB Summary Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • 281 obstetrics related malpractice payment reports were made against nurse midwives in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • 0 anaesthesia related malpractice payment reports were made against nurse midwives in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • 28 diagnosis related malpractice payment reports were made against nurse midwives in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • 0 equipment or product related malpractice payment reports were made against nurse midwives in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • 8 monitoring related malpractice payment reports were made against nurse midwives in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • 2 medication related malpractice payment reports were made against nurse midwives in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • 7 surgery related malpractice payment reports were made against nurse midwives in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • 22 treatment related malpractice payment reports were made against nurse midwives in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)
  • 0 IV and blood products related malpractice payment reports were made against nurse midwives in the US 1990-2002 (2002 Annual Report, National Practitioner Data Bank, US DHHS)

Medical articles on symptoms:

These general reference articles may be of interest:

• Medical Malpractice
• Medical Malpractice Overview
• Symptoms and Medical Malpractice
• More Medical Malpractice Information
• List of Medical Malpractice Articles
• Medical Malpractice Dictionary

About malpractice:

For a general overview of medical malpractice issues for all diseases, see Medical Malpractice. For a general overview of misdiagnosis issues for all diseases, including malpractice-related issues in misdiagnosis, see Overview of Misdiagnosis.