Medical Malpractice

Adverse events (AEs) in medical malpractice, due to their frequency and socioeconomic costs, have gained public and political attention. In the USA, UK and Australia, several studies have been conducted concerning AEs, preventable AEs (PAEs) and negligent AEs (NAEs), but mostly only in hospitalised patients as ambulant medical care data are hardly available. The data of the arbitration committees of the medical councils are well documented and evaluated either locally by the responsible medical chamber or nationwide by the German medical chamber. Lethal cases are a special subgroup and the best available data source is the files of the Institutes of Forensic Medicine. An autopsy is a very efficient method for clarifying medical malpractice claims. Therapeutic misadventure can be classified in many ways. Two examples are given in this chapter. The modern forensic investigation into medical treatment related death uses the knowledge of the clinical liaison service (CLS).