[Preventive aspects of risk management and quality assurance in medical training with examples in the European Union and the United States of America].
The risk to be sued for clinical negligence by a patient is an integral part of modern medicine characterised by numerical evaluation of data, quality control of the results and cost containment. All three issues raised already at the beginning of the century by the American Surgeon Codman are without any doubt the basis of the spectacular achievements in the management of practically all diseases. At the same time they became a basis for compensation claims of patients who were not satisfied with the results of their treatment. The spiralling legal costs diverting resources of patients care and associated with feeling of doctors not being valued were interpreted as a profoundly negative aspect of modern medicine. Surprisingly, however, the complaints had also positive impact-revival of better documentation, involvement of the patient in the management of his disease and the realisation that a non-adversarial dispute resolution should replace the existing blame culture.
Pflug
J
J
Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine University of London, Hammersmith Hospital Swollen Limb Clinic.
D004282:Documentation; D005060:Europe; D005062:European Union; D006801:Humans; D008318:Malpractice; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D012308:Risk Management; D014481:United States