Improving the safety of aesthetic surgery: Recommendations following a 14-year review of cases referred to the Medical Defence Union from across the United Kingdom (1990–2004)

Abstract

Aesthetic surgery differs from all other forms of surgery in being a treatment for ‘want’ rather than ‘need’. Historically it has been a field with a significant rate of litigation as a result of the high expectation of patients. A 14-year audit of claims to the MDU between 1990 and 2004 has allowed a unique insight into the nature of events which patients deem significant and lead them to seek litigation. The top line findings of this review have allowed this article to suggest some recommendations to reduce risk in aesthetic surgery. Ninety percent of the claims had as a significant component a deficiency in documentation which made the case difficult to defend. This article looks at where these deficiencies in documentation lay to make recommendations for surgeons practising aesthetic surgery.