Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 9, 2025
07:58
Stromal Vascular Fraction-enriched Fat Grafting for the Treatment of Symptomatic End-neuromata
Published on: November 23, 2017
7.6K
A Novel Method for Identifying Patients with High Risk of Litigation in Plastic Surgery: Introducing the FATIMA
Miriam Vicente-Ruiz1, Bernardo Hontanilla2
1Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Av. Pio XII 36, 31008, Pamplona, Spain.
Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
|October 30, 2024
Summary
Plastic surgeons can mitigate litigation risk by identifying high-risk patients using the FATIMA acronym. This identifies female patients with tattoos, on antidepressants, or anxiolytics, seeking breast implants, who are middle-aged and have legal aid.
Area of Science:
- Medico-legal aspects of plastic surgery.
- Patient risk stratification in surgical specialties.
Background:
- Plastic surgery is a highly litigated specialty globally.
- Increasing claims against plastic surgeons necessitate proactive risk management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify common characteristics of plaintiffs in plastic surgery litigation.
- To develop a tool for improved patient selection and liability avoidance.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 199 Spanish legal database resolutions over five years.
- Interviews with expert witnesses and consultation with a patient advocacy group.
- Contrast of findings with international plastic surgery litigation literature.
Main Results:
- The FATIMA acronym summarizes key plaintiff traits: Female, Antidepressants/Anxiolytics, Tattoos, Implants (breast surgery), Middle-aged, Access to free legal services.
- This profile aids in identifying patients with a higher likelihood of litigation.
Conclusions:
- The FATIMA acronym can assist plastic surgeons in selecting patients.
- Utilizing FATIMA may help reduce medical liability and improve patient outcomes.
