MALPRACTICE IN PEDIATRIC RADIOLOGY - A SURVEY IN THE UNITED-STATES AND CANADA

A survey of the chairmen of pediatric radiology departments in childre n's hospitals in Canada and the United States was undertaken to gain d ata on the subject of malpractice in pediatric radiology. Sixty-two me mbers of the Society of Chairmen of Radiology in Children's Hospitals (SCORCH) were surveyed. Forty-two surveys (65%) were returned for anal ysis. Malpractice premiums paid per pediatric radiologist per year ran ged from $ 499-$ 29,000 (mean $ 8,630). Twenty-eight malpractice claim s were reported from 1980 to 1992. The largest number of claims involv ed gastrointestinal/abdomen and chest examinations, areas that were pe rceived as low risk by the respondents. The incidence of lawsuits agai nst pediatric radiologists in the midwest was statistically higher com pared to Canada (p <0.05). Private practice models had a statistically greater incidence of malpractice suits compared to university practic e models (p < 0.04). No statistical difference between the number of m alpractice suits and the number of examinations performed per year or the number of pediatric radiologists in the group was found. We conclu ded that pediatric radiologists run the risk of malpractice claims. Th is data may aid in lessening this risk in the future.