The “Crisis” in Medical Malpractice: A Comparison of Trends in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia

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Abstract
As the sense of crisis in medical malpractice reemerged in the United States in the early 1980s, other countries previously thought immune to liability problems were experiencing similar difficulties. In fact, the frequency and severity of malpractice claims and the cost of malpractice insurance have risen as dramatically in Canada and the U.K. as in the United States, despite legal systems in the U.K. and Canada that are generally less favorable to potential plaintiffs. The absolute level of claims and insurance costs are still lower in the U.K. and Canada than in the U.S., but the gap is narrowing. This paper reviews the evidence on recent trends in claims, awards and insurance premiums in these three countries and comments on the lessons that can be learned from this cross-national comparison.

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