Reflecting the international experience, statistics show that most medical negligence cases in Ireland settle. Less is known, however, about the duration of these cases, though anecdotal evidence suggests that they are protracted in nature. Procedurally focused reforms, aimed at reducing costs and facilitating more expedient resolution of these disputes have been proposed in Ireland, yet await implementation. As such, the pace of litigation is largely determined by the parties to the dispute. Drawing on the findings of an empirical study (an analysis of closed case files and qualitative interviews), this article explores two questions: first, how long do medical negligence cases take to resolve; and secondly, what contributes to delay in this context. Whilst causes of delay may vary by case, it is important to attempt to identify and explore common factors which contribute to delay. If these factors can be problematised and understood, possible solutions may be reached. In doing so, the article contributes to the debate on medical negligence reform across common law jurisdictions, evidencing the broader considerations, in addition to procedurally focused reforms, which are required when considering the issue of delay.

统计数据显示，爱尔兰的大多数医疗过失案件都得到了和解，这反映了国际经验。然而，人们对这些案件的持续时间知之甚少，尽管传闻证据表明这些案件本质上是旷日持久的。爱尔兰已提议进行以程序为重点的改革，旨在降低成本并促进更迅速地解决这些争端，但尚待实施。因此，诉讼的节奏很大程度上取决于争议双方。本文借鉴实证研究的结果（对已结案档案的分析和定性访谈），探讨了两个问题：第一，医疗过失案件需要多长时间才能解决；第二，医疗过失案件需要多长时间才能解决；其次，是什么导致了这种情况下的拖延。虽然延误的原因可能因情况而异，但尝试识别和探索导致延误的常见因素很重要。如果这些因素能够被提出问题并被理解，就可能找到可能的解决方案。在此过程中，本文促进了普通法司法管辖区关于医疗过失改革的辩论，除了在考虑延误问题时需要进行以程序为重点的改革之外，还证明了更广泛的考虑因素。