Most Physicians Will Be Sued for Malpractice by Age 65

August 17, 2011 — The risk of getting sued for malpractice in any given year ranges from 2.6% for psychiatrists to 19.1% for neurosurgeons, but over a medical lifetime, most physicians across all specialties can expect to face at least 1 lawsuit, according to an article published today in the New England Journal of Medicine(NEJM).

The findings, drawn from the files of a major malpractice insurance carrier with clients across the country, represent more fodder for the ongoing debate on tort reform, a subject dear to organized medicine.

Physicians in the 5 least-sued specialties — psychiatry, pediatrics, a category called "other specialties" in the study, family medicine, and dermatology — have a 75% chance of getting sued by age 65. The odds increase to 99% for physicians in the 5 most-sued specialties:neurosurgery, thoracic cardiovascular surgery, general surgery, orthopaedic surgery, and plastic surgery.

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