Medical malpractice claims involving children

AimThe aim of this study was to reveal and discuss the profile of medical malpractice claims involving children aged 0–18 years and reported to the Supreme Health Council (SHC), an organization providing expert opinion for malpractice claims in Turkey.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed 167 children cases among 960 malpractice claims which expert opinion was provided by SHC between 1996 and 2000.ResultsOut of 167 children, 64.1% were male. Most of the children were aged 6–12 years. 63.5% of the claims were associated with crime lawsuits. 59.3 and 31.7% of the children applied to hospitals due to diseases and accidents, respectively. More than half of the malpractices occurred in state hospitals (63.5%) and resulted from non-surgical interventions (58.7%). One-thirds of the children suffered from infections. 57.5% of the children (n = 96) died and 59.3% of them (n = 57) were autopsied. Health staff was found at fault in 46.1% of the claims. Causes of deaths reported before and after autopsies were conflicting in 13 of 19 autopsied children (68%).ConclusionWe think that the results of this study will contribute to the data about the profile of medical malpractice claims involving children will increase awareness in medical malpractices and deter health staff from malpractice.