Fileni A, Magnavita N, Pescarini L
Istituto Nazionale di Riposo e Cura dell'Anziano (INRCA)-Sede di Roma, Via Cassia 117, 00189, Roma, Italy.
Radiol Med. 2009 Jun;114(4):636-44. doi: 10.1007/s11547-009-0394-6. Epub 2009 May 14.
The aim of this study was to analyse malpractice claims in mammography, estimate the specific risk of future claims and assess their impact on radiologists and society.
The study considered insurance claims filed by radiologists of the Italian Society of Medical Radiology (SIRM) over a 12.5-year period between 1 January 1993 and 30 June 2005. We isolated claims related to presumed diagnostic errors in mammography. We then estimated the number of claims arising from events in the study period that are expected to be filed over the next few years, before the expiration of the prescriptive period of 10 years.
The total number of claims was 1,088. Of these, 302 were caused by alleged diagnostic errors in cases of cancer; 189 (62%) concerned breast cancers and mammographic technique. Assuming a constant frequency of claims filed by radiologists, we expect a further 637 claims relating to the study period, for a total of 1,725 claims, with 178 claims being related to breast imaging. The predicted rate therefore increases to 10.5 per thousand, equal to a risk of one litigation per radiologist per 10 years of work.
The analysis uncovered a complex problem: although radiologists save many lives through the radiographic diagnosis of breast cancer and consequently contribute to the welfare of society, in practice, they can face real or alleged errors, with serious judicial consequences. Awareness of professional risk in current society may represent a valuable reference for choosing and planning to work in radiology.
本研究旨在分析乳腺X线摄影中的医疗事故索赔情况，估计未来索赔的具体风险，并评估其对放射科医生和社会的影响。
本研究考虑了意大利医学放射学会（SIRM）的放射科医生在1993年1月1日至2005年6月30日这12.5年期间提交的保险索赔。我们分离出与乳腺X线摄影中假定诊断错误相关的索赔。然后，我们估计了在研究期间发生的事件所引发的索赔数量，这些索赔预计将在10年的时效期到期前的未来几年内提交。
索赔总数为1088起。其中，302起是由癌症病例中所谓的诊断错误引起的；189起（62%）涉及乳腺癌和乳腺X线摄影技术。假设放射科医生提交索赔的频率保持不变，我们预计与研究期间相关的索赔将再增加637起，总计1725起，其中178起与乳腺成像有关。因此，预测发生率将升至千分之10.5，相当于每位放射科医生每工作10年面临一次诉讼的风险。
分析揭示了一个复杂的问题：尽管放射科医生通过乳腺癌的影像学诊断挽救了许多生命，从而为社会福利做出了贡献，但在实践中，他们可能面临实际的或所谓的错误，并带来严重的司法后果。当前社会对职业风险的认识可能是选择和规划从事放射学工作的宝贵参考。
