Patient perspectives on adverse event investigations in health care.

Background: Over the last decade attention has grown to give patients and next of kin (P/N) more substantial roles in adverse event investigations. Adverse event investigations occur after adverse events that resulted in death or severe injury. Few studies have focused on patient perspectives on their involvement in such investigations.

Medical Dispute Committees in the Netherlands: a qualitative study of patient expectations and experiences.

Background: Health care incidents, such as medical errors, cause tragedies all over the world. Recent legislation in the Netherlands has established medical dispute committees to provide for an appeals procedure offering an alternative to civil litigation and to meet the needs of clients. Dispute committees incorporate a hybrid procedure where one can file a complaint and a claim for damages resulting in a verdict without going to court.

Beyond symptom resolution: insurance case manager's perspective on predicting recovery after motor vehicle crash.

Purpose: Insurance company case managers can play a critical role in the rehabilitation process of people with musculoskeletal disorders sustained following minor motor vehicle crash injury due to their interaction with multiple stakeholders and their role in approving various services. This study aimed to identify factors that case managers perceive as predictive of recovery in people with musculoskeletal disorders after minor motor vehicle crash injury.

Materials And Methods: To explore the perspectives of cases managers in Australia and the United States, semi-structured interviews explored factors that case managers thought provided an early indication of likely recovery outcomes in people with musculoskeletal disorders after minor motor vehicle crash injury.

Health care professionals' attitudes towards evidence-based medicine in the workers' compensation setting: a cohort study.

Background: Problems may arise during the approval process of treatment after a compensable work injury, which include excess paperwork, delays in approving services, disputes, and allegations of over-servicing. This is perceived as undesirable for injured people, health care professionals and claims managers, and costly to the health care system, compensation system, workplaces and society. Introducing an Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) decision tool in the workers' compensation system could provide a partial solution, by reducing uncertainty about effective treatment.

Differences in perceived fairness and health outcomes in two injury compensation systems: a comparative study.

Background: Involvement in a compensation process following a motor vehicle collision is consistently associated with worse health status but the reasons underlying this are unclear. Some compensation systems are hypothesised to be more stressful than others. In particular, fault-based compensation systems are considered to be more adversarial than no-fault systems and associated with poorer recovery.

Predictors of time to claim closure following a non-catastrophic injury sustained in a motor vehicle crash: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Research suggests that exposure to the compensation system (including time to case closure) could adversely influence a persons' recovery following injury. However, the long-term predictors of time to claim closure following minor road traffic injuries remain unclear. We aimed to assess a wide spectrum of factors that could influence time to claim closure (socio-demographic, compensation-related, health, psychosocial and pre-injury factors) over 24 months following a non-catastrophic injury.

Factors that challenge health for people involved in the compensation process following a motor vehicle crash: a longitudinal study.

Background: Motor vehicle crashes (MVC) are associated with diminished mental health, and furthermore, evidence suggests the process of claiming compensation following an MVC further increases distress and impedes recovery. However, further research is required on why the compensation process is stressful. The aim of the current study is twofold.

Does Blame Impede Health Recovery After Transport Accidents?

Blame towards the wrongdoer can be a source of distress for people who are injured in a transport accident. The association between blame and psychological stress is well investigated. In contrast, not much is known about blame and health-care utilization.

Effectiveness of a web-based intervention for injured claimants: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: There is considerable evidence showing that injured people who are involved in a compensation process show poorer physical and mental recovery than those with similar injuries who are not involved in a compensation process. One explanation for this reduced recovery is that the legal process and the associated retraumatization are very stressful for the claimant. The aim of this study was to empower injured claimants in order to facilitate recovery.

Do claim factors predict health care utilization after transport accidents?

Background: Injured people who are involved in compensation processes have less recovery and less well-being compared to those not involved in claims settlement procedures. This study investigated whether claim factors, such as no-fault versus common law claims, the number of independent medical assessments, and legal disputes, predict health care utilization after transport accidents.

Method: The sample consisted of 68,911 claimants who lodged a compensation claim at the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) in Victoria, Australia, between 2000 and 2005.

Procedural justice and quality of life in compensation processes.

Background: There is considerable evidence that being involved in compensation processes has a negative impact on claimants' health. Previous studies suggested that this negative effect is caused by a stressful compensation process: claimants suffered from a lack of communication, a lack of information, and feelings of distrust. However, these rather qualitative findings have not been quantitatively investigated yet.

Exploring Lawyer-Client Interaction: A Qualitative Study of Positive Lawyer Characteristics.

Personal injury victims involved in compensation processes have a worse recovery than those not involved in compensation processes. One predictor for worse recovery is lawyer engagement. As some people argue that this negative relation between lawyer engagement and recovery may be explained by lawyers' attitude and communications to clients, it seems important to investigate lawyer-client interaction.

Do compensation processes impair mental health? A meta-analysis.

Background: Victims who are involved in a compensation processes generally have more health complaints compared to victims who are not involved in a compensation process. Previous research regarding the effect of compensation processes has concentrated on the effect on physical health. This meta-analysis focuses on the effect of compensation processes on mental health.

Empowerment of personal injury victims through the internet: design of a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Research has shown that current claims settlement process can have a negative impact on psychological and physical recovery of personal injury (PI) victims. One of the explanations for the negative impact on health is that the claims settlement process is a stressful experience and victims suffer from renewed victimization caused by the claims settlement process. PI victims can experience a lack of information, lack of involvement, lack of 'voice', and poor communication.

Effectiveness of web-based interventions on patient empowerment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Patient empowerment is growing in popularity and application. Due to the increasing possibilities of the Internet and eHealth, many initiatives that are aimed at empowering patients are delivered online.

Objective: Our objective was to evaluate whether Web-based interventions are effective in increasing patient empowerment compared with usual care or face-to-face interventions.