Today’s patients are fairly knowledgeable about their rights in the event something goes awry during a procedure and will not hesitate to pursue these rights when something goes wrong. If you operate a business within the healthcare sector or serve as a practitioner providing care to patients, as a doctor, surgeon, nurse, or pharmacist, staying alert can help you sidestep potentially costly mistakes.
This guide highlights some effective strategies that can help keep medical malpractice lawsuits at bay. The first step is to speak to a medical malpractice attorney, so keep reading to learn more.
Prioritize Excellent Care
Practicing ‘good’ medicine is more than just a job; it entails providing the kind of care you wish for your closest family and friends. Think of each patient as someone integral to your life whom you deeply value. This mindset does more than build stronger doctor-patient relations; it also fundamentally boosts the quality of healthcare you provide.
When you aim for excellence in every consultation, procedure, and follow-up, you are better placed to minimize your chances of making errors and the likelihood of unfortunate outcomes or misunderstandings that could lead to legal woes. It is about doing your utmost to ensure safety and well-being at every stage of medical treatment, a trait every medical practitioner should possess.
Follow Through on Test Results
Identifying a patient’s condition starts with making the correct diagnosis, and tests play a critical role here. Ensure you follow through on test results to minimize errors. Errors can easily occur when test results are misinterpreted or overlooked, leading to incorrect treatment plans that could compromise patient health.
Taking responsibility for every testing stage—from order to explanation—helps close gaps in care and mitigate risks associated with misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis. This diligent approach ensures patients receive accurate and timely care, reducing potential grounds for malpractice claims.
Avoid Guesswork in Diagnosis
After years of practice, you can start feeling confident in making a diagnosis even before conducting a test, and you could be right many times until you are not. Assumptions can sometimes lead to grave errors—like misinterpreting the common postoperative fever as viral when it’s indicative of something more serious, such as sepsis or abscesses related to the surgery itself.
This error is a frequent basis for lawsuits, especially when the patient or their medical malpractice attorney has evidence that you did not conduct the proper tests. Conducting rigorous scrutiny and looking at all angles of a condition ensures that all bases are covered before arriving at a diagnosis. This approach significantly lowers the chances of oversight and subsequent legal issues that could arise as a result.
Maintain Thorough Documentation
Accurate and detailed medical records serve as your best defense in the event of a legal dispute. Incomplete or vague notes can be misinterpreted, creating gaps that a malpractice claim can exploit. Document every patient interaction, including symptoms, diagnosis, treatment plans, test results, and follow-up instructions. If a patient refuses a recommended procedure or medication, note it explicitly. A well-maintained record not only ensures continuity of care but also provides clear evidence of your diligence and professionalism should your decisions ever be called into question.
Obtain Informed Consent Every Time
Patients have the right to understand the risks, benefits, and alternatives of any procedure or treatment before agreeing to it. Failing to secure proper informed consent is a common reason for malpractice claims. Always have a clear, documented conversation with patients about what to expect, ensuring they have the opportunity to ask questions. A signed consent form is important, but it’s not enough—verbal discussions and written explanations help reinforce transparency and trust, reducing the risk of misunderstandings that could lead to legal trouble.
Conclusion
The world of medical practice requires much more than medical professionals. It demands a proactive approach to managing risks of civil claims that could drain your finances and hurt your reputation.
By providing outstanding treatment, swiftly following up on test results, and not making assumptions when diagnosing a patient, you can significantly reduce your risk of a malpractice suit.
