title: Introduction to the law.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To provide an introduction to the legal concepts that are involved in negligence suits involving oncology nurses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medline, Lexis, Westlaw, legal literature and texts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To avoid liability and guard against negligence or malpractice suits, the oncology nurse must be aware of the legal responsibilities of each aspect of the nursing role.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Protecting yourself against medical malpractice begins by understanding terms and concepts that are essential in instituting legal action against the nurse and incorporating the appropriate risk reduction practices into daily practice.
authors.affiliation: Northern Illinois University, College of Law, DeKalb, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Jaime R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Ganschow
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008318:Malpractice / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D009859:Oncology Nursing / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*