Doctors Lose Their Own Malpractice Case

08/14/18 • 5 min

The defendant’s role in a successful defense against a claim of malpractice is critical, but it isn’t easy. Clinician have to be able to follow advice from lawyers, cope with their own emotions, which often include anger or fear, and project competence and likability to potential jurors. These things—none of which are taught in medical school—can be a challenge to a medical professional. Sometimes malpractice cases have to be settled because the defendant clinician cannot adapt to the legal system.

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Part I: Harvard Joins IHI to Cut Referral Mistakes

In any complex medical system, malpractice cases can arise from failures in the referral process. Typically these are situations in ambulatory care where the doctor recommends that a patient see a specialist, but it either doesn't happen or nobody acts on the result. A new tool from The Institute for Healthcare Improvement and CRICO helps guide doctors and practices to prevent these referral errors and the harm from resulting diagnostic failures.

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Fatal Misplaced Tube Casts Light on Supervision, Competence Assessment

In this case, a 75-year-old female was admitted to the ICU with respiratory failure. A misplaced feeding tube led to her death. ICU intensivist Dr. Laura Myers discusses lessons from this case about supervision and assessing a provider's competence with a new procedure.