[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-459873-105":59,"doc-detail-459873-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","a-comparative-risk-analysis-of-malpractice-claims-in-hand-surgeons-trained-in-plastic-and-orthopedic-surgery","A Comparative Risk Analysis of Malpractice Claims in Hand Surgeons Trained in Plastic and Orthopedic Surgery","","Despite comparable ability to treat hand and wrist injuries, hand surgeons with different residency backgrounds show meaningful differences in medicolegal exposure. This study examines how orthopedic and plastic and reconstructive surgery (PRS) training influences litigation related to hand and wrist procedures by querying jury verdicts and settlements. Among 66 included cases, orthopedic-trained surgeons account for most claims, with therapeutic delay and patient death predicting plaintiff verdicts, and procedure context altering relative risk. Results inform how residency emphasis and practice distribution shape malpractice trends.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":35,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/a-comparative-risk-analysis-of-malpractice-claims-in-hand-surgeons-trained-in-plastic-and-orthopedic-surgery/459873/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/a-comparative-risk-analysis-of-malpractice-claims-in-hand-surgeons-trained-in-plastic-and-orthopedic-surgery/459873.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Adam","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-09","2026-09-30",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":52},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What question does the study address about hand surgeons?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"It evaluates how residency training background (orthopedic versus plastic and reconstructive surgery) influences medicolegal exposure for hand surgeons.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How were malpractice claims selected for analysis?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"The Westlaw database was queried for jury verdicts and settlements related to hand and wrist surgery filed against orthopedic or PRS hand surgeons.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"Which factors predicted a plaintiff verdict?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Therapeutic delay and patient death were predictive of a plaintiff verdict.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},459873,1790897155,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":34,"category_name":35,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":52,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":39,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":46,"preview_page_count":4},1374404737137,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d","Original article  \nHand  \nA Comparative Risk Analysis of Malpractice Claims in Hand Surgeons Trained in Plastic and Orthopedic Surgery  \nHaadA. Arif, MD*† Bilal Khilfeh, MD‡ Fatima Z. Arif, MD§ Dainn Woo, MD¶ Simon T. Moore, BS† Emmi Deckard, BS† RonitWollstein, MD* Stuart Kuschner, MD¶  \nBackground: Despite the ability of both plastic surgeons and orthopedic surgeons to treat hand and wrist injuries, significant differences exist in clinical practice between hand surgeons with differing residency training backgrounds. This study sought to investigate the influence of residency training on medicolegal exposure among hand surgeons trained in orthopedic and plastic and reconstructive surgery (PRS). Methods: The Westlaw database was queried for all jury verdicts and settlements related to hand and wrist surgery and filed directly against an orthopedic or PRS hand surgeon. Extracted data included patient and defendant demographics, alleged negligence, damages, and payouts.  \nResults: A total of 66 cases out of 3933 were included. A defendant verdict was reached in 55 (83.3%) cases. The average monetary award was $2.1 million. The most common preceding treatment was fracture repair (n = 20, 30.3%) and carpal tunnel release (n = 13, 19.7%) . Out of 66 cases, 52 (78.8%) were levied against orthopedic-trained hand surgeons. Therapeutic delay (P = 0.0068) or patient death (P = 0.0242) were predictive factors ofa plaintiff verdict. PRS surgeons faced greater risks of litigation in cases following soft tissue repair, therapeutic delay, or negligence requiring an amputation. Conversely, orthopedic surgeons were more likely to face litigation following fracture repair.  \nConclusions: Although specialty training of hand surgeons alone does not considerably influence the risk of facing medical malpractice litigation, differences in medicolegal trends within hand surgery reflect key differences in prevailing residency training emphases, clinical exposure, and geographic practice distribution between orthopedic- and PRS-trained hand surgeons. (Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open 2026;14:e7401; doi: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000007401; Published online 8January 2026.)  \nINTRODUCTION  \nMedical malpractice is a controversial social issue and a source of considerable financial and emotional burden on  \nFrom the *Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL; †School of Medicine, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA; ‡Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, WA; §Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA; and ¶Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA.  \nReceived for publication September 5, 2025; accepted November 18, 2025.  \nPoster presented at the 2025 Orthopaedic Summit Meeting, September 19, 2025, Las Vegas, Nevada.  \nCopyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of The American Society of Plastic Surgeons. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal.  \nDOI: 10. 1097/GOX.0000000000007401  \npatients and physicians alike. Every year, nearly 10% of all practicing physicians within the United States face a malpractice claim,1 costing the healthcare system more than $55 billion.2,3 One cost-analysis study found that defensive medicine costs, defined as those associated with tests, procedures, or visits primarily driven out of concern formalpractice liability, accounted for close to $46 billion in 2008.2 Orthopedic surgeons are particularly at risk of facing legal action, experiencing litigation at an annual rate of 14% .1,4 Plastic and reconstructive surgery (PRS) physic","cbCaieqRbfccNOdb","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaieqRbfccNOdb","pdf",1012449,"English","# Introduction\n## Methods\n## Results\n## Conclusions","[{\"question\":\"What question does the study address about hand surgeons?\",\"answer\":\"It evaluates how residency training background (orthopedic versus plastic and reconstructive surgery) influences medicolegal exposure for hand surgeons.\"},{\"question\":\"How were malpractice claims selected for analysis?\",\"answer\":\"The Westlaw database was queried for jury verdicts and settlements related to hand and wrist surgery filed against orthopedic or PRS hand surgeons.\"},{\"question\":\"Which factors predicted a plaintiff verdict?\",\"answer\":\"Therapeutic delay and patient death were predictive of a plaintiff verdict.\"}]","A Comparative Risk Analysis of Malpractice Claims in Hand Surgeons Trained in Plastic and Orthopedic Surgery | PDF",1790757138]