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Table 3 Comparison of study variables by type of medical facility

From: Physicians' communication skills with patients and legal liability in decided medical malpractice litigation cases in Japan

Category

Study variables

Clinic

Hospital

p-valuea

Patient characteristics

   
 

Age (mean ± SD)(years) (n)

35.90 ± 17.85 (20)

46.56 ± 2 0.76 (64)

0.042

 

Sex: male/female

6/21

29/44

0.103

 

Type of disease: treatment is elective or not urgently necessary/other

13/14

3/69

0.000

 

Severity of injury: death/other

5/22

38/35

0.003

Doctor characteristics

   
 

Number of doctors who explained: one/two or more

27/0

46/27

0.000

 

Department where patient was treated: surgical system/other

3/24

31/42

0.004

Manner of doctor's explanation

   
 

Purpose of explanation: explanation to obtain patient's consent/other

19/8

61/12

0.143

 

Timing of doctor's explanation: prior to treatment or surgery/other

18/4

53/6

0.448

 

Those who received doctor's explanation: patient only/patient and family or family only

19/3

17/42

0.000

 

Manner of doctor's explanation to patient: oral only/oral and other methods

5/14

39/4

0.000

 

Manner of doctor's explanation to family: oral only/oral and other methods

3/0

33/6

1.000

 

Level of doctor's explanation to patient: relevant and specific/not sufficiently relevant or specific

6/12

14/28

1.000

 

Level of doctor's explanation to family: relevant and specific/not sufficiently relevant or specific

0/3

14/24

0.539

 

Place of doctor's explanation: inpatient ward/outpatient clinic or other

2/25

53/20

0.000

 

Content of doctor's explanation: related to surgery/other

11/16

26/47

0.637

Litigation

   
 

Issue in litigation: presence of doctor's explanation/insufficient or incorrect doctor's explanation

5/22

14/59

0.940

 

Legal basis of plaintiff's claim: tort law only tort law and contract law or contract law only

8/19

22/50

0.929

 

Introduction of medical expert witness: yes/no

2/25

32/41

0.001

 

Mean length of litigation (mean ± SD)(years) (n)

6.41 ± 5.29 (27)

8.08 ± 3.43 (26)

0.067

 

Acknowledgment of doctor's fault by court decision: yes/no

11/14

24/48

0.339

 

Acknowledgment of physician liability by court decision: yes/no

22/5

43/30

0.036

  1. a t-test or χ2 test
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