Correlation between compensated patient claims and 30-day mortality

Abstract Objective To test if compensation claims from patients (reported to the Norwegian System of Patient Injury Compensation) are correlated with the existing quality indicator of 30-day mortality (based on data from Norwegian Patient Registry). This correlation has not been previously evaluated. Design The association between patient claims and 30-day mortality at hospital trust level was assessed by the Pearson correlation coefficient. Setting The Norwegian System of Patient Injury Compensation is a governmental agency under the Ministry of Health and Care Services and deals with patient-reported complaints about incorrect treatment in the public and private healthcare services. Patient-reported claims may be an indicator of healthcare quality, as 30-day mortality. Participants All 19 Norwegian hospital trusts. Interventions : None. Main outcome measure Patient claims rates, 30-day mortality and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results Both number of deaths within 30 days and number of claims have declined over time. High correlation (0.77, P