Distribution of malpractice allegations and payments by primary allegation group (1986–2010)
| Malpractice allegation group | n (%) | Mean, US$ | Median, US$ | Malpractice payments in US$ millions (%) | SD in US$ millions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnosis related | 100249 (28.6) | 386849 | 213250 | 38781 (35.2) | 0.56 |
| Treatment related | 95635 (27.2) | 196960 | 58805 | 18836 (17.1) | 0.42 |
| Surgery related | 84980 (24.2) | 280257 | 135935 | 23816 (21.6) | 0.47 |
| Obstetrics related | 22951 (6.5) | 651670 | 343245 | 14956 (13.6) | 1.10 |
| Medication related | 18697 (5.3) | 257333 | 92085 | 4811 (4.4) | 0.63 |
| Anesthesia related | 10525 (3) | 419126 | 168705 | 4411 (4.0) | 0.86 |
| Monitoring related | 7101 (2) | 354131 | 149663 | 2514 (2.3) | 0.77 |
| Other miscellaneous | 6929 (2) | 176781 | 44708 | 1224 (1.1) | 0.45 |
| Equipment/product related | 1872 (0.5) | 128204 | 35718 | 239 (0.2) | 0.28 |
| Intravenous and blood-rroducts related | 1080 (0.3) | 294011 | 127165 | 317 (0.3) | 0.55 |
| Behavioural health related | 687 (0.1) | 212494 | 65550 | 145 (0.1) | 0.45 |
| Total | 350706 (100) | 313813 | 133250 | 110055 (100) | 0.59 |