Treatment errors, etc

Few complaints against the provincial health agency

LGA board member Elisabeth Bräutigam and Lower Austrian patient advocate Michael Prunbauer took stock.(Bild: Imre Antal)

The Lower Austrian Provincial Health Agency (LGA) took stock of the joys and sorrows of patients and their feedback. 34 court cases are still pending, which have been brought this year. In order to avoid having to go to the courts, the patient advocate and compensation fund are available in the large five-figure range each year.

34 lawsuits are still pending at the Lower Austrian Health Agency (LGA), which were filed in 2024. However, it is not known whether going to court in the event of a dispute happens more often than before. However, Lower Austrian patient advocate Michael Prunbauer emphasizes that only a small percentage of all complaints end up in court.

Complaints are a contribution to improvement
"Every complaint is a contribution to improvement. Out-of-court solutions can be found through us. It is often the financial risk or the psychological burden that makes people refrain from going to court," he explains. The patient advocate does not accompany injured parties to the civil court; they have to do that on their own.

1993 complaints, 3,000,000 contacts
LGA board member Elisabeth Bräutigam is more specific: "We have three million patient contacts per year and had complaints by mid-December 1993 this year." She also values complaints, because "many similar complaints often bring system weaknesses to light". To take the pressure off, a complaints office has been set up at each location and staffed with trained personnel.

Most of the complaints relate to late or incorrect diagnoses, surgical errors or complications during the course of treatment. According to Bräutigam, the small number of complaints is offset by a large number of thank-you cards and positive feedback, only a small proportion of which can be recorded because they often happen in person.

Compensation fund for settlement
In order to be able to reach an out-of-court settlement, compensation funds have long been set up, with a pot available at both the LGA and the patient advocate. On average, the LGA's compensation fund pays out one million euros per year, in 2023 it was 874,000 euros. The Patient Advocate's fund requires around 900,000 euros per year.