Table 3.
Baseline claim/claimant characteristics of settled and declined claims
| Characteristics | Settled claims (N = 142) | Declined claims (N = 259) | p-value* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean, (SD)a | 47.3 [35.4–58.6] | 46.8 [32.9–58.6] | 0.420 |
| Genderb | 0.636 | ||
| Nr of males (%) | 60 (42.3%) | 117 (45.2%) | |
| Nr of females (%) | 82 (57.7%) | 141 (54.4%) | |
| Treating specialty | 0.596 | ||
| Orthopedic surgeon | 68 (47.9%) | 135 (52.1%) | |
| (trauma) surgeon | 61 (43.0%) | 109 (42.1%) | |
| Radiologist | 9 (6.3%) | 11 (4.2%) | |
| ER | 4 (2.8%) | 4 (1.5%) | |
| Location of injury/affliction | 0.201 | ||
| Ankle (%) | 64 (45.1%) | 101 (39.0%) | |
| Foot (%) | 60 (42.3%) | 108 (41.7%) | |
| Toes (%) | 18 (12.7%) | 50 (19.3%) | |
| Type of injury/affliction | 0.024 | ||
| Fracture | 79 (55.6%) | 103 (39.8%) | |
| Toe deformitiesc | 13 (9.2%) | 45 (17.4%) | |
| Tendon/capsular damage | 11 (7.7%) | 22 (8.5%) | |
| Infection | 1 (0.7%) | 18 (6.9%) | |
| Luxation | 1 (0.7%) | 2 (0.8%) | |
| CRPS | 1 (0.7%) | 3 (1.2%) | |
| Otherd | 13 (9.2%) | 32 (12.4%) | |
| Unknowne | 23 (16.2%) | 34 (13.1%) | |
| Type of surgery (N = 200) | 0.449 | ||
| Acute | 20 (29.4%) | 24 (21.4%) | |
| Elective | 34 (50.0%) | 65 (58.0%) | |
| Unclear | 14 (20.6%) | 23 (20.5%) | |
| Type of claim | 0.033 | ||
| Surgery | 68 (47.9%) | 112 (43.2%) | |
| Diagnosis | 58 (40.8%) | 85 (32.8%) | |
| Treatment | 13 (9.2%) | 46 (17.8%) | |
| Medication | 3 (2.1%) | 12 (4.6%) | |
| Communication | 0 | 4 (1.5%) | |
| Care | 0 | 0 |
N number of patients, SD standard deviation, ER emergency room, CRPS complex regional pain syndrome
*determined by Mann–Whitney U for age and with a Chi Square test for all other, categorical variables
aIn years, at time of the inflicted damage
b1 missing value in “declined claims”
cE.g. hallux valgus, hammer/claw toe, ingrown toenail
dE.g. removal of foreign body, lipoma, neuroma, compartment syndrome, and other orthopedic pathology
eUnspecified underlying injury (e.g. complications after “foot surgery”)