[Malpractice in connection with radius fractures must be reduced. Clear guidelines for treatment and follow-up are required].
PSR handles the vast majority of malpractice injuries in Sweden. PSR is a claims handling company which settles claims for malpractice on behalf of the insurance company owned by the Swedish county councils: the County Councils Mutual Insurance Company. A central issue in the law regulating patient injuries in Swedish health care is to define injuries that could have been avoided if a certain therapeutic/diagnostic procedure or a more appropriate method had been utilized. PSR arranged a multiprofessional conference regarding guidelines to decrease the number of malpractice injuries in the treatment of distal radius fractures. Among the most important issues defined were: To improve and standardize diagnostic imaging Patient information Early decision making in surgery and physical/occupational therapy A more well-defined indication for surgery, in which type of trauma, biological age and functional demands are considered in addition to radiographs Less stereotyped thinking in follow-up Controlled randomized trials.
Svensson
O
O
Ortopedkliniken, Huddinge sjukhus. olle.svensson@orthoped.hs.sll.se
Ahrengart
L
L
Ekholm
C
C
Andersson
G L
GL
Höglund
M
M
Jonsson
U
U
Juhlin
L
L
Kopylov
P
P
Lagerström
C
C
Lundborg
G
G
Made
C
C
Mallmin
H
H
Räf
L
L
Törnkvist
H
H
D002983:Clinical Competence; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005592:Fracture Fixation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D017102:Fracture Healing; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007345:Insurance Claim Review; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008318:Malpractice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009788:Occupational Therapy; D011859:Radiography; D011885:Radius Fractures / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D013548:Sweden