Neonatal malpractice claims in Italy: how big is the problem and which are the causes?

Abstract

Medical errors are topics of increasing importance in neonatology. Very few data are available on neonatal malpractice claims. We report the first data obtained in Italy on neonatology regarding a wide population study during a 6-year survey. Data concerning 191 claims regarding delivery room (n = 77; 38.74%), nursery (n = 72; 37,69%), NICU (n = 42; 21,98%) and the transport system (n = 3; 1.57%) are presented and discussed. On data allow an analysis of main causes and suggest how to face the problem.