Trend analysis of emergency department malpractice claims in the Netherlands: a retrospective cohort analysis

Background Over the past two decades, several quality improvement projects have been implemented in emergency departments (EDs) in the Netherlands, one of these being the training and deployment of emergency physicians. In this study we aim to perform a trend analysis of ED quality of care in Dutch hospitals, as measured by the incidence of medical malpractice claims. Patients and methods We performed a multicentre retrospective cohort study of malpractice claims in five Dutch EDs over the period 1998–2014. Incidence risk ratios were calculated to demonstrate any relation of specific quality improvement initiatives with the primary outcome, defined as the number of claims per 10 000 ED visits per year. Results During the study period, the cumulative number of ED visits increased significantly from 99 145 in 1998 to 162 490 in 2014 (P

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