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Review of Clinical Settings in Otolaryngology Malpractice Litigation

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Litigation in Otolaryngology

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Abstract

The malpractice litigation climate in the United States has evolved in recent years. As a whole, medical practice continues to transition to the outpatient setting, with more procedures completed in the office and ambulatory surgical center. Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery is a unique field, with practitioners responsible for both medical and surgical management of head and neck disorders. Otolaryngologists frequently perform procedures in the office, operating room, and ambulatory surgical centers. Furthermore, they are tasked with the diagnosis and medical management of disorders that do not require surgical intervention. Otolaryngology malpractice litigation represents a relatively small portion of all US malpractice claims. In an analysis of 175,667 malpractice claims, 10,641 were attributable to otolaryngologists. There are no studies in the literature that directly compare malpractice claims arising from complications in the office versus the operating room.

Otolaryngology malpractice claims differ by setting. Most surgical claims result from technical errors leading to injury and long-term morbidity. In subspecialty practices such as facial plastic surgery, poor cosmetic outcomes lead to claims as well. Nonsurgical complications most often involve a missed or delayed diagnosis that results in morbidity to the patient. These complications differ among the various subspecialties of otolaryngology. In the pediatric otolaryngology literature, most missed diagnoses relate to acute infectious processes resulting in neurologic sequelae. In adults, delayed cancer diagnoses are the most common source of malpractice claims and are particularly common in younger patients. Inadequate informed consent is a common source of malpractice claims in all subspecialties of otolaryngology. The goal of this chapter is to characterize the settings in which common causes of otolaryngology malpractice litigation take place.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, USA

    Guy Talmor & Soly Baredes

  2. Center for Skull Base and Pituitary Surgery, Neurological Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, USA

    Soly Baredes

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  1. Guy Talmor
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  2. Soly Baredes
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Correspondence to Soly Baredes .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, USA

    Jean Anderson Eloy

  2. Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ, USA

    Peter F. Svider

  3. Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, USA

    Soly Baredes

  4. Kelly,, Rode & Kelly, LLP, Mineola, NY, USA

    Shawn P. Kelly

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Talmor, G., Baredes, S. (2021). Review of Clinical Settings in Otolaryngology Malpractice Litigation. In: Eloy, J.A., Svider, P.F., Baredes, S., Kelly, S.P. (eds) Litigation in Otolaryngology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64418-5_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64418-5_5

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