[Expert assessment of medical malpractice]

Conciliation boards are advisory commissions of the medical societies. They deal with clarification of extrajudicial patient claims based on factual or putative treatment mistakes. In perhaps 90% of the cases, an extrajudicial solution is possible, whereby the federal average for recognition is 30%. Within the framework of this study, first the legal basis for the liability of doctors is explained, especially the importance of patient information and consent as well as the responsibility for documentation. The material of the conciliation board of the medical society of Saxony consists of 1375 medical expert opinions rendered between 1 January 1992 and 23 September 2000, of which 165 cases were due to orthopedic treatment. The most common health injuries resulting in compensation claims are described.