Lessons from the MOHW compensation pilot program on birth incidents: First step and looking forward

Objective: In Taiwan, the number of medical disputes and litigation has increased dramatically over the past 20 years. The seriousness of medical disputes continuing grows in clinical practice, especially in obstetricians. This study provided a possible solution to the medical dispute litigation iss...

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Main Authors: Tsung-Hsi Wang, Shu-Fen Lin, Kun-Yu Tsai, Yu-Fu Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2017-06-01
Series:Taiwanese Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1028455917300803
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author Tsung-Hsi Wang
Shu-Fen Lin
Kun-Yu Tsai
Yu-Fu Liu
author_facet Tsung-Hsi Wang
Shu-Fen Lin
Kun-Yu Tsai
Yu-Fu Liu
author_sort Tsung-Hsi Wang
collection DOAJ
description Objective: In Taiwan, the number of medical disputes and litigation has increased dramatically over the past 20 years. The seriousness of medical disputes continuing grows in clinical practice, especially in obstetricians. This study provided a possible solution to the medical dispute litigation issue. Materials and methods: The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) compensation program for birth incidents has been implemented since 2012 and it provided pecuniary compensation for mothers, newborns, and fetuses who got injured or died in birth-related medical incidents. We analyzed the amount and distribution of compensation, and assessed the effect of compensation on the number of medical dispute litigation. Results: From 2012 to 2015, a total of 348 applications was received, 322 of which were examined by the committee. Among the examined cases, 278 were approved for compensation. The total amount of compensation had reached 266.16 million NTD (8.32 million USD). For the medical dispute litigation, a dramatic decrease in number was observed after the implementation of this compensation pilot program. Conclusion: Prompt compensation provided instant economic and spiritual support for patients and families. Pecuniary compensation could be an alternative choice of justice, which might encourage the injured to receive economic compensation, instead of filing a lawsuit against the physician or hospital institution. As a result, the number of dispute litigation has decreased. This indicates that the compensation program is an efficient way to improve medical dispute litigation difficulties.
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spelling doaj.art-a79b5a460c6243fdbba0af8889575a2b2022-12-21T19:12:26ZengElsevierTaiwanese Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology1028-45592017-06-0156332032410.1016/j.tjog.2017.04.010Lessons from the MOHW compensation pilot program on birth incidents: First step and looking forwardTsung-Hsi WangShu-Fen LinKun-Yu TsaiYu-Fu LiuObjective: In Taiwan, the number of medical disputes and litigation has increased dramatically over the past 20 years. The seriousness of medical disputes continuing grows in clinical practice, especially in obstetricians. This study provided a possible solution to the medical dispute litigation issue. Materials and methods: The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) compensation program for birth incidents has been implemented since 2012 and it provided pecuniary compensation for mothers, newborns, and fetuses who got injured or died in birth-related medical incidents. We analyzed the amount and distribution of compensation, and assessed the effect of compensation on the number of medical dispute litigation. Results: From 2012 to 2015, a total of 348 applications was received, 322 of which were examined by the committee. Among the examined cases, 278 were approved for compensation. The total amount of compensation had reached 266.16 million NTD (8.32 million USD). For the medical dispute litigation, a dramatic decrease in number was observed after the implementation of this compensation pilot program. Conclusion: Prompt compensation provided instant economic and spiritual support for patients and families. Pecuniary compensation could be an alternative choice of justice, which might encourage the injured to receive economic compensation, instead of filing a lawsuit against the physician or hospital institution. As a result, the number of dispute litigation has decreased. This indicates that the compensation program is an efficient way to improve medical dispute litigation difficulties.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1028455917300803BirthCompensationLitigationMedical dispute
spellingShingle Tsung-Hsi Wang
Shu-Fen Lin
Kun-Yu Tsai
Yu-Fu Liu
Lessons from the MOHW compensation pilot program on birth incidents: First step and looking forward
Taiwanese Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Birth
Compensation
Litigation
Medical dispute
title Lessons from the MOHW compensation pilot program on birth incidents: First step and looking forward
title_full Lessons from the MOHW compensation pilot program on birth incidents: First step and looking forward
title_fullStr Lessons from the MOHW compensation pilot program on birth incidents: First step and looking forward
title_full_unstemmed Lessons from the MOHW compensation pilot program on birth incidents: First step and looking forward
title_short Lessons from the MOHW compensation pilot program on birth incidents: First step and looking forward
title_sort lessons from the mohw compensation pilot program on birth incidents first step and looking forward
topic Birth
Compensation
Litigation
Medical dispute
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1028455917300803
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AT kunyutsai lessonsfromthemohwcompensationpilotprogramonbirthincidentsfirststepandlookingforward
AT yufuliu lessonsfromthemohwcompensationpilotprogramonbirthincidentsfirststepandlookingforward