Studies from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Yield New Information about Information Technology (Ophthalmic Trauma Malpractice In the Ophthalmic Mutual Insurance Company Database): Information Technology

2022 FEB 08 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health & Medicine Business Daily -- Investigators publish new report on Information Technology. According to news originating from Bethesda, Maryland, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “To review ophthalmic trauma malpractice claims in the Ophthalmic Mutual Insurance Company (OMIC) database to determine the frequency and causes of litigation. A retrospective case series analysis of ophthalmic trauma claims from 2009 to 2019 was completed.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, “Cases were selected only if the injury was secondary to trauma (e.g., fall, gunshot wound, paintball injury, etc.); iatrogenic traumatic surgical injuries were excluded. Results 31 closed cases associated with 40 total claims related to ophthalmic trauma out of 2565 claims (1.56%) in the OMIC database were analysed. 13 of the 31 cases (41.9%) were decided for the plaintiff. In decisions for the plaintiff, the median settlement amount was $330,000 (range $125,000-$1,000,000). The most frequent initial diagnoses were corneal abrasion (n = 10), hyphema (n = 5) and open-globe injury (n = 5), and the most common final diagnoses were endophthalmitis (n = 8), intraocular foreign body (n = 7) and retinal detachment (n = 7). The most common causes of malpractice litigation were a delay in referral or follow-up (n = 11) and failure to get appropriate imaging (n = 8). In the 13 cases decided for the plaintiff, experts concluded nine did not meet standard of care. Ophthalmic trauma malpractice claims are very uncommon in the United States, however, the payout is higher than non-trauma settlements, and approximately 40% of cases were decided for the plaintiff.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Care could be improved with a careful history and complete ophthalmic examination (with dilated fundoscopy), imaging in appropriate patients, meticulous documentation, and early sub-specialist referral when the diagnosis or management plan was unclear.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Ophthalmic Trauma Malpractice In the Ophthalmic Mutual Insurance Company Database. Eye, 2022. Eye can be contacted at: Springernature, Campus, 4 Crinan St, London, N1 9XW, England. (Nature Publishing Group - http://www.nature.com/; Eye - http://www.nature.com/eye/)

The news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained from Grant A. Justin, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Dept. of Ophtalmology, Bethesda, MD 20814, United States. Additional authors for this research include Marcus H. Colyer, Fasika A. Woreta, James D. Auran, Ron W. Pelton, Christopher J. Rapuano and Anne M. Menke.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-021-01893-4. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

(Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.)