Physicians’ knowledge, attitude and practice regarding medical liability: cross-sectional study, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract Background Medical liability refers to the responsibility for damage caused to a patient by healthcare providers while delivering medical services. It raises significant concerns, not only due to its impact on the quality of care but also because of the financial burden it places on both patients and the healthcare system. This survey aimed to evaluate physicians’ knowledge and attitudes toward medical liability and to examine their reported incidence of medical errors during practice. It was conducted with physicians working in healthcare settings in Cairo, Egypt. An online self-administered structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Results The study included 580 respondent physicians with different specialties. Diagnostic errors were the most common errors reported by the participants, followed by communication and system failures. Regarding the resulting damage from errors, 31.7% of the participants reported financial damage, 26.6% reported mild-to-moderate physical damage, 7.8% reported the incidence of a patient’s death, and 4.7% reported the incidence of severe bodily damage. Conclusions Although participating physicians had sufficient knowledge of medical responsibility, they were not aware of the elements of medical liability. They have a positive attitude toward disclosure, reporting, and discussion of medical errors, but they worry about the consequences of disclosure.