A decade of clinical negligence in ophthalmology

BACKGROUND: To present an overview of the clinical negligence claims for ophthalmology in the National Health Service (NHS) in England from 1995 to 2006. To compare ophthalmic subspecialties with respect to claim numbers and payments. METHODS: All the claims on the NHS Litigation Authority database for ophthalmology for the period 1995 to 2006 were analysed. Claims were categorised by ophthalmic subspecialty, and subspecialties were ranked according to numbers of claims, total damages paid, average level of damages and paid:closed ratio (a measure of the likelihood of a claim resulting in payment of damages). RESULTS: There were 848 claims, 651 of which were closed. 46% of closed claims resulted in payment of damages. The total cost of damages over the period was £11 million. The mean level of damages was £37,100. Cataract made up the largest share of claims (31%), paediatric ophthalmology had the highest mean damages (£170,000), and claims related to glaucoma were most likely to result in payment of damages (64%). CONCLUSION: Clinical negligence claims in ophthalmology in England are infrequent, but most ophthalmologists will face at least one in their career. Ophthalmic subspecialties show marked differences with regard to their litigation profiles. From a medical protection perspective, these results suggest that indemnity premiums should be tailored according to the subspecialty areas an ophthalmologist is involved in.