Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Relationship between malpractice claims and cesarean delivery

A R Localio1, A G Lawthers, J M Bengtson

  • 1Center for Biostatics and Epidemiology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey 17033.

JAMA
|January 20, 1993
PubMed
Summary

Higher malpractice claims risk is linked to increased cesarean delivery rates. This study found a positive association between hospital and physician malpractice risk and the probability of cesarean delivery.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Land use is associated with Indigenous maternal death occurrence through Native and Western food security.

iScience·2026
Same author

Land Use Barriers to Native and Western Food Security are Associated with Indigenous Maternal Death Occurrence and Changes to Nutritional Value of a Key Traditional Food.

medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences·2025
Same author

Correlates of 1-Year Change in Quality of Life in Patients with Urologic Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome: Findings from the Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP) Research Network.

The Journal of urology·2020
Same author

Metabolic modeling using statistical and spreadsheet software: Application to the glucose minimal model.

Computer methods and programs in biomedicine·2020
Same author

Urinalysis in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.

European journal of neurology·2019
Same author

Impact of a transition to more restrictive drug formulary on therapy discontinuation and medication adherence.

Journal of clinical pharmacy and therapeutics·2016

Area of Science:

  • Medical Malpractice Law
  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Health Services Research

Background:

  • Cesarean delivery rates have been a subject of concern.
  • The influence of medical malpractice claims risk on clinical decisions, such as cesarean delivery, is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between malpractice claims risk and the likelihood of cesarean delivery.
  • To determine if hospital-level and physician-level malpractice risk correlates with cesarean delivery rates.

Main Methods:

  • A survey of computerized discharge data from 31 acute care hospitals in New York State in 1984.
  • Data were linked with physician and hospital malpractice claims records.
  • Analysis included 60,490 deliveries, controlling for clinical risk, patient socioeconomic status, and hospital characteristics.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Cesarean delivery was positively associated with physician malpractice premiums and the number of physician claims per 100 physicians.
  • Higher hospital malpractice claims per 1000 discharges also correlated with increased cesarean delivery rates.
  • Physician-perceived risk of suit showed a significant association with cesarean delivery, but individual physician claims history did not.

Conclusions:

  • The findings support the hypothesis that increased malpractice claims risk is associated with higher rates of cesarean delivery.
  • Malpractice risk appears to be a contributing factor to the observed cesarean delivery rates.