Medical malpractice and brachytherapy

Abstract

Purpose: On average, physicians spend 10 years embroiled in malpractice litigation, exacerbating burnout and depression. Only a limited number of studies regarding medical malpractice in radiation oncology have been published, mostly in the last few years. We undertook this review with the goal of looking specifically at brachytherapy-related medical malpractice literature.

Basic procedures: We used the PubMed search engine using the terms radiation oncology medical malpractice. The search yielded 34 references published between 1988 and 2019.

Findings: The incidence of radiation oncology malpractice claims was roughly similar to other specialties, with fairly typical payouts of $100,000-$200,000. Consistent with overall national medical malpractice statistics, a trend toward lesser numbers of radiation oncology claims from 1985 through 2017 has occurred. Medical malpractice data related specifically to brachytherapy are very, very limited. No author has provided sufficient details regarding precisely what leads to brachytherapy malpractice cases.

Conclusion: Hopefully, the recent spate of publications will segue into a more concerted effort to provide practitioners with detailed actionable descriptions of events leading to malpractice allegations.

Keywords: Brachytherapy; Malpractice; Medical; Oncology; Radiation.