Summary of five years of operation of the out-of-court system for pursuing patient claims in Poland : a retrospective analysis of applications for evaluating medical events

OBJECTIVE: Providing health services involves a risk of medical events and adverse events. The transparency and quality of the healthcare system have a direct impact on patient’s safety. One of the measures of the quality of health services is monitoring and reporting these irregularities, as well as analysing the causes of their occurrence. The aim of this study was to present the principles of the functioning of the Regional Commission for Evaluation of Medical Events in Szczecin and to analyse medical events in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship from 2012 to 2017.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The analysis included applications for evaluating medical events and documentation collected for the purpose of conducting cases by the Regional Commission for Evaluation of Medical Events in Szczecin. The study was retrospective. All applications for evaluating medical events that were received by the Regional Commission for Evaluation of Medical Events in Szczecin in 2012-2017 were analysed. The study was conducted from October 2017 to December 2018.

RESULTS: The retrospective analysis of the years 2012-2017 revealed 42 medical events and 120 adverse events. The most common medical events were health disorders (33.3%) and bodily injuries (30.9%). Out of the 42 medical events, 34 (80.9%) were for surgical procedures and childbirth. The most common procedures were orthopedic (26.6%) and surgical (23.5%) procedures.

CONCLUSIONS: Medical events and adverse events should be reported so that they can be analyzed, conclusions can be drawn, and remedial measures can be introduced.