Alexander Westerholm, Satu Lamminmäki, Lasse Rämö, Leena-Maija Aaltonen, Paula Virkkula, Antti Mäkitie, Morag Tolvi
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: This study investigated the frequency and characteristics of patient injuries related to Otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery (ORL-HNS) in Finland from 2012 to 2023, with a focus on common complications, trends in injury frequency and comparisons with previous studies.
Methods: Data were obtained from the Patient Insurance Centre (PIC) of Finland, encompassing all ORL-HNS-related patient injury cases from 2012 to 2023. The study reviewed 1153 claims, of which 317 (27.5%) were compensated. The analysed variables included patient demographics, procedure types, complications and healthcare settings. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the data.
Results: Most compensated injuries (66.6%) were due to surgical or procedural complications, followed by inadequate management (24.3%). Most cases occurred at university hospitals (40.1%) or regional hospitals (38.8%) and were handled by specialists (69.7%). Endoscopic sinus surgery and septoplasty had compensation ratios of 0.7 and 0.72 per 1000 procedures, respectively. The likelihood of compensation decreased with patient age but was not correlated with hospital type. Among subspecialties, rhinology (31%) and head and neck surgery (30%) had the highest frequency of compensated claims.
Conclusions: This study corroborates previous findings that ORL-HNS patient injuries are relatively rare, with many occurring during routine surgeries performed by specialists. These results challenge the assumption that surgical errors stem primarily from inexperience. The greater number of reported complications in university hospitals may reflect the trend towards centralising complex procedures.
期刊介绍：
Clinical Otolaryngology is a bimonthly journal devoted to clinically-oriented research papers of the highest scientific standards dealing with:
current otorhinolaryngological practice
audiology, otology, balance, rhinology, larynx, voice and paediatric ORL
head and neck oncology
head and neck plastic and reconstructive surgery
continuing medical education and ORL training
The emphasis is on high quality new work in the clinical field and on fresh, original research.
Each issue begins with an editorial expressing the personal opinions of an individual with a particular knowledge of a chosen subject. The main body of each issue is then devoted to original papers carrying important results for those working in the field. In addition, topical review articles are published discussing a particular subject in depth, including not only the opinions of the author but also any controversies surrounding the subject.
• Negative/null results
In order for research to advance, negative results, which often make a valuable contribution to the field, should be published. However, articles containing negative or null results are frequently not considered for publication or rejected by journals. We welcome papers of this kind, where appropriate and valid power calculations are included that give confidence that a negative result can be relied upon.
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