Medico-legal risks associated to hand and wrist trauma

Table 1 Learning points from the present study

First report of medical negligence claims related to hand and wrist trauma and surgery in Greece

Missed diagnosis was the main reason for filling a claim in hand and wrist trauma surgery

Missed diagnosis and subsequent inadequate management resulted in partial or complete loss of a finger in half of the cases

Junior doctors and doctors from allied specialties (other than orthopedic or plastic surgery) were involved in most of the claims

The main reasoning of the verdicts included accurate documentation, rarity of injury, functional outcome and delay in recovery