Will Saying "I'm Sorry" Prevent a Malpractice Lawsuit?

Predictors of radiologists' perceived risk of malpractice lawsuits in breast imaging.

OBJECTIVE The shortage of radiologists in breast imaging may be related to heightened malpractice lawsuit concerns. Our objective was to examine radiologists' reported experiences and perceptions of future lawsuit risk and explore personal and professional factors that may be associated with elevated perceptions of risk. MATERIALS AND METHODS Radiologists who routinely interpret mammography e...

a Mock Trial A Malpractice Lawsuit Simulation : Critical Care Providers Learn as Participants in

Transparent and open discussion of errors does not increase malpractice risk in trauma patients.

OBJECTIVE We set out to determine if there is an increased medical malpractice lawsuit rate when trauma patient cases are presented at an open, multidisciplinary morbidity and mortality conference (M&M). INTRODUCTION Patient safety proponents emphasize the importance of transparency with respect to medical errors. In contrast, the tort system focuses on blame and punishment, which encourages ...

Does Sorry Work? The Impact of Apology Laws on Medical Malpractice

Apologies made by physicians for adverse medical events have been identified as a mitigating factor in whether patients decide to litigate. However, doctors are socialized to avoid apologies because apologies admit guilt and invite lawsuits. An "Apology Law," which specifies that a physician's apology is inadmissible in court, is written to encourage patient-physician communication. Building on...

Relation of patients' experiences with individual physicians to malpractice risk.

OBJECTIVE Patient care experience survey data might be useful for managing individual physician malpractice risk, but available evidence is limited. This study assesses whether patients' experiences with individual physicians, as measured by a validated survey, are associated with patient complaints and malpractice lawsuits. DESIGN Random samples of active patients in physicians' panels, with...