Detailed analysis : Surgical safety in Canada : a 10-year review of CMPA and HIROC medico-legal data

The action plan identified the need for a retrospective analysis of surgical incident data and the publication of these findings in a report to be circulated nationally.1 The Consortium requested that the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA), which provides medical liability protection for most Canadian physicians, and the Healthcare Insurance Reciprocal of Canada (HIROC), which provides [...] The CMPA captures medical conditions and interventions using the Canadian Enhancement to the International Statistical Classification of Disease and Related Health Problems, 10th revision (ICD-10-CA) and the Canadian Classification of Health Interventions (CCI). [...] As expected, the CMPA, the principal provider of medical liability protection to Canadian physicians, reported the involvement of one or more physician in all of its surgical incident cases, and other healthcare providers (including residents and nurses) in 18% of the cases. [...] HIROC, the largest provider of liability insurance for Canadian healthcare organizations and their employees, reported the involvement of nurses and other healthcare personnel (not including residents) in 31% of its surgical incident cases, and physicians and residents in 77% of the cases. [...] Peer experts, of similar training and working in the same kind of practices, interpreted or provided their opinion on clinical, scientific, or technical issues surrounding the incidents, and identified deficiencies in the clinical care of physicians and other healthcare providers.