[Expert commission for questions of physician malpractice. More than 10 years service for the patient and physician--report from the Südbaden District Chamber of Medicine].

The provision of an objective expertise on medical practice by an expert commission and arbitration board aims to make it easier for the patient to prove a justified claim, and for the physician to reject unfounded accusations made against him. A retrospective consideration of the activities of the expert commission on questions of medical liability at the Medical Society of Baden-Württemberg for the region covered by the District Medical Society Südbaden shows that the expert commission is being approached progressively more often. The medical discipline most frequently involved is surgery. Although claims are more frequently made against hospital doctors than against doctors in private practice, the latter are more likely to be guilty of maltreatment. Iatrogenic mistakes made during routine treatments can lead to serious consequences for the patient. An analysis of the activities of the expert commissions can open up new possibilities for quality control in medical care and further medical education.