Compensation claims for chiropractic in Denmark 2013-2022

Area of Science:

• Healthcare policy and patient safety.
• Musculoskeletal medicine and chiropractic practice.
• Health services research and claims analysis.

Background:

• Patient injuries during healthcare consultations are a growing concern, with increasing compensation claims.
• Research on primary care injuries is limited compared to the secondary sector.
• This study focuses on compensation claims involving chiropractors in Denmark.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe compensation claims related to chiropractic care in Denmark from 2013 to 2022.
• To analyze claim characteristics, injury types, and outcomes.
• To investigate cervical artery dissection claims in detail.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of chiropractor-related claims from the Danish Patient Compensation Association Register (2013-2022).
• Utilized the Healthcare Complaints Analysis Tool for data extraction and categorization.
• Examined patient demographics, injury types, processing times, decisions, appeals, and financial compensation, with a specific focus on cervical artery dissection.

Main Results:

• 535 chiropractor-related claims were identified; 519 were analyzed.
• Claims per 100,000 consultations increased from 1.03 in 2013 to 3.57 in 2022.
• Only 6% of claims were approved; cervical artery dissection claims had the highest approval rate (29%) and accounted for 94% of total compensation (€3,025,000).

Conclusions:

• Compensation claims for chiropractic care in Denmark have increased, but approval rates remain low.
• Most claims relate to treatment outcomes or symptom worsening; cervical artery dissection claims are significant for compensation.
• Improved patient-chiropractor communication regarding treatment expectations and outcomes is recommended to reduce claims.