Articles Tagged With: blame
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Documenting Understaffing Could Sound Like Blame-Shifting to a Jury
Jurors are going to expect everyone in the ED is working together for the patient’s benefit. If the emergency physician has valid safety concerns, the medical record is not the place to voice those. Patient safety committees or the peer review process are better options, and generally are not discoverable during malpractice litigation.
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EP Could Be Deposed if Patient Was Misdiagnosed at Another ED
Beware making well-meaning statements or criticizing other clinicians in front of patients.
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Safety Incident Reports Often Compromised by Blaming
Healthcare organizations encourage and sometimes require staff to file safety incident reports after any kind of mishap. But many of those reports include improper accusations of wrongdoing and blaming individuals. This undermines the value of the incident reports. -
Finger-Pointing in Nurse Charting Is Opportunity for Plaintiff
Emergency nurses and physicians may not understand the liability implications of using charts to air grievances. A unified defense is recognized as the best approach for all defendants in ED malpractice claims, but finger-pointing notes make it difficult. Physicians and nurses should meet briefly before each shift to discuss the importance of teamwork, not only regarding patient care but also documentation.