title: Overview of legal issues.
abstract: Evidence suggests that compliance with guidelines will affect malpractice litigation. One point often overlooked is that guidelines can provide both exculpatory and inculpatory evidence.
authors.affiliation: Harvard School of Public Health, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brennan
mesh_terms: D003363:Cost Control / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D003675:Defensive Medicine / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006300:Health Services Misuse / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014481:United States