The Risk Management Handbook for Healthcare Professionals

Common wisdom and medical wisdom agree that prevention is the best medicine. Following this advice, The Risk Management Handbook for Healthcare Professionals shows you how to avoid litigation, what to do when sued, and what to do in the midst of litigation. The first book to focus on medical and surgical malpractice with realistic, practical information, it provides explicit guidance on preventive documentation, the disgruntled patient, and dealing with requests for records, threats of litigation, and phone calls from lawyers.

Leading experts explore malpractice and medicolegal issues in all fields of primary care and in all specialities. They also cover risk management principles for residents, malpractice issues and concerns for medical students, and malpractice risk and risk reduction strategies for advanced practice nurses and physician assistants. The book includes information from the point of view of a plaintiff's attorney, guidance on deposition, pretrial and trial issues, living wills, basic legal principles, medicolegal problems in Britain, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines for handling blood-borne pathogens. Authoritative and comprehensive, The Risk Management Handbook for Healthcare Professionals does more than prepare you for a lawsuit. It keeps you from being involved in the first place.