Learning from Medical Errors: Legal Issues

by Anh Vu Nguyen, Dung Nguyen

Overview

As medical litigation continues to increase, the best defence for doctors is to be aware of, and avoid, medical errors. This book focuses on the key legal issues including medical documentation, which reduce risk and liability when handled correctly. It contains chapters on difficult patients and special issues for emergency physicians. The case-based format demonstrates clinical relevance and useful examples are drawn from office, hospital and community settings. This book is the companion volume to Learning from Medical Errors: Clinical Problems which focuses on the most common clinical situations resulting in malpractice litigation. Learning from Medical Errors: Legal Issues is vital reading for all doctors, medical lecturers and teachers and medical lawyers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781857757675
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/01/2000
Pages:	54
Product dimensions:	6.80(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Nguyen, Anh Vu; Nguyen, Dung

Table of Contents

The progress note. Good progress note, putting it all together. What you should not place in a progress note. Things to avoid doing clinically. Dealing with the difficult patient. Clinical tips to decrease liability in your practice Part 1. Clinical tips to decrease liability in your practice Part 2. Things that may go wrong (but are out of your control). Other legal issues involving emergency physicians. What to do after you are sued.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Nicholas Greco IV, MS, BCETS, CATSM (Columbia College of Missouri)
Description: This book examines the most common medical errors and legal problems involved in medical documentation and medical practice. The authors advocate defensive medicine and cite numerous case examples of what to do and what not to do and promote thorough documentation. This is the companion to Learning from Medical Errors: Clinical Problems.
Purpose: Like its companion volume, the purpose of this book is to increase physicians' awareness of common clinical errors in order to decrease poor outcomes for the patient as well as decrease the chances of physicians finding themselves in the courtroom. The authors' intent is to provide readers with a strong foundation to practice medicine in a comprehensive and thorough manner thereby decreasing one's liability. The book exceeds the authors' objectives and will exceed the reader's objectives on many levels.
Audience: Everyone in healthcare is in the intended audience with particular attention to primary care, urgent care, and emergency care providers. Additionally, medical residents across specialties and senior medical students will find this extremely useful and purposeful. There is no question that this book should be adopted as part of a medical school course. The authors are highly credible members of the medical field.
Features: Once again, the standout highlight of this book is the use of case examples which undeniably illustrate the importance of documentation, appropriate follow through, and ever diligent medical workups. The case presentation and discussion format helps to take the reader through chapters such as: the progress note, dealing with difficult patients, decreasing liability in one's practice, and what to do after you have been sued. Each chapter explores what errors can lead to malpractice claims and how they could have been prevented.
Assessment: Every healthcare professional must obtain a copy of this book and the companion volume. Both volumes are essential weekend reading. The sacrifice of one's weekend is priceless in preventing needless errors and time-consuming malpractice litigation. Without a doubt, these two books are a one-two punch for protecting yourself, your staff, and your practice. Highly recommended!

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