Retinopathy of Prematurity Malpractice ClaimsThe Ophthalmic Mutual Insurance Company Experience
Shelley Day, MD;
Anne M. Menke, RN, PhD;
Richard L. Abbott, MD
Arch Ophthalmol. 2009;127(6):794-798.
Objective To examine the causes of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) malpractice claims filed with the Ophthalmic Mutual Insurance Company.
Methods All closed ROP malpractice claims were reviewed.
Results Eight cases involved failure of transfer of care on patient discharge from the hospital, 3 cases demonstrated inappropriately long periods between follow-up examinations, 1 case was due to failure of outpatient referral from screening to the treating ophthalmologist, and 1 case concerned unsupervised resident provision of ROP care.
Conclusions Many preventable factors can be addressed to improve ROP care. It is essential to ensure that ophthalmologists, neonatologists, pediatricians, and families are updated on current guidelines for ROP screening and treatment and to facilitate follow-up appointments before patient discharge from the hospital. Doing so can help avoid future malpractice claims and patient harm.
Author Affiliations: Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco (Drs Day and Abbott); and Ophthalmic Mutual Insurance Company, San Francisco (Drs Menke and Abbott).
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