Learning from Medical Errors

As medical litigation continues to increase, the best defense for doctors is to be aware of, and avoid, medical errors. This book is the companion volume to Learning from Medical Errors: Clinical Problems (1-85775-768-8. It focuses on legal issues including medical documentation. The case-based format demonstrates clinical relevance and useful examples are drawn from both hospital and community settings. Contents include: the progress note; good progress note, putting it all together; what you should not place in a progress note; things to avoid doing clinically; dealing with the difficult patient; clinical tips to decrease liability in your practice; other legal issues involving emergency physicians; what to do after you are sued.

Anh-Vu Nguyen and Dung A Nguyen are, respectively, emergency physician and clinical assistant professor, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa and Florida State University College of Medicine; medical director, Patients First Appleyard, Tallahassee and clinical assistant professor, Florida State University College of Medicine.