Nosocomial medicolegal problems.
Most incidents resulting in medicolegal claims occur in the hospital setting, partly because of the numerous surgical procedures which take place there, but also because of the complexity of communication and shared responsibility among physicians, house staff, nurses, technicians, and lay employees. Various situations likely to pose medicolegal problems are described, particularly those related to the giving and documenting of medical orders and the delegation of responsibility. Guidelines for avoiding medicolegal problems in the hospital setting, and for handling them should they occur, are given.
D003675:Defensive Medicine; D006801:Humans; D008318:Malpractice