Patient-reported ‘treatment injuries’ after hand surgery. A review of 1321 claims submitted to the Norwegian system of patient injury compensation 2007–2017

Figures & data

Table 1. Criteria for patient compensation due to ‘treatment injury’.

A valid claim for patient compensation can be made where all five criteria are fulfilled A patient injury is due to failure in treatment (called ‘treatment injury’). There is a probable cause. Treatment has not been in line with good medical practice. Patients must suffer a financial loss of at least NOK 10,000 or have incurred a permanent medical disability of at least 15%. The limitation period for claims is 3 years from when the patient had sufficient knowledge about the patient injury.

Table 2. Total number of complaints and percentage of granted cases distributed in trauma and elective claims sent to NPE in the period 1 January 2007–30 June 2017.

	ICD-10 Code/diagnose	Total complaints	% of complaints	Total granted complaints	% granted complaints
Trauma diagnoses	S62 – Fracture at wrist and hand level	322	24.4	159	49.4
	S63 – Dislocation, sprain and strain of joints and ligaments at wrist and hand level	129	9.8	54	41.9
	Miscellaneous trauma diagnoses – S44, S51, S54, S56, S58, S60, S64, S65, S67, S69, T23, T70.4, T79, T81, T84, T14	94	7.1	47	50
	S66 – Injury of muscle and tendon at wrist and hand level	78	5.9	41	52.6
	S61 – Open wound of wrist and hand	64	4.8	21	32.8
	S68 – Traumatic amputation at wrist and hand level	25	1.9	2	8
	Total Trauma diagnoses	712	53.9	324	45.5
Elective diagnoses	G56 – Mononeuropathies of upper limb	233	17.6	84	36.1
	M18 – Arthrosis of first carpometacarpal joint	103	7.8	33	32.0
	M72 – Fibroblastic disorders	80	6.1	22	27.5
	Miscellaneous elective diagnoses – B37, D17, D18, D21, L02, L03, L92, M00, M01, M05, M06, M25, M62, M66, M79, M80, M84, M85, M86, M89, Q69, Q70, Q71	60	4.5	16	26.7
	M65 – Synovitis and tenosynovitis	55	4.2	23	41.8
	M67 – Other disorders of synovium and tendon	42	3.2	17	40.5
	M19 – Other arthrosis	36	2.6	13	36.1
	Total Elective diagnoses	609	46	208	34.2
	Total trauma and elective diagnoses	1321	100	532	40.2

Figure 1. Reasons for the 1321 patient claims in hand surgery submitted to NPE in the period 1 January 2007–30 June 2017.

Figure 2. Numbers in each claim category for trauma and elective claims in hand surgery submitted to NPE in the period 1 January 2007–30 June 2017.

Figure 3. Reason for granting cases due to failure of treatment for trauma and elective claims submitted to NPE in the period 1 January 2012–30 June 2017.

Figure 4. Reason for accepting claims submitted to NPE due to failure in diagnostic, for trauma and elective claims, in the period 1 January 2012–30 June 2017.