title: Legal aspects of therapist-driven protocols. Do therapist-driven protocols place therapists in a legally compromising position?
abstract: The recent introduction of therapist-driven protocols has given the appearance of restricting the professional judgment of respiratory therapists with decision-tree robotics while contemporaneously catapulting them into the practice of medicine. This is happening in the midst of a spiraling litigation climate. This article examines the legal aspects--from malpractice to licensure--of this exciting new practice known as therapist-driven respiratory protocols.
authors.affiliation: Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Meehan
mesh_terms: D002985:Clinical Protocols; D004282:Documentation; D006801:Humans; D007591:Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations; D008318:Malpractice / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D009820:Ohio; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D012138:Respiratory Therapy; D014481:United States