Risk Management and the Emergency Department—Exectuive Leadership Fpr Protecting Patients and Hospitals

Welch (clinical emergency medicine, U. of Utah) et al., physicians and an attorney, explain the role of executive leadership in reducing risk for emergency department patients, providers, and the organization. They describe the elements that contribute to waits, delays, errors, and adverse events; setting up quality improvement and risk management programs; ways to improve reliability; error and mistake proofing; standardization; teamwork; patient safety culture; patient satisfaction as a risk management strategy; and the roles of apologies and the board in risk management. They discuss healthcare law and high-risk issues such as HIPAA, the Stark law, EMTALA, documentation, protocols and standardized order sets, and consent and end of life issues. The authors provide strategies for high-risk situations that account for the majority of lawsuits, such as medication errors, appendicitis, ectopic pregnancy, aortic aneurysm and dissection, wounds and fractures, sick babies, stroke, brain and spinal cord injuries, dangerous patients, and testicular torsion. The final section outlines the anatomy of a lawsuit and survival strategies when legal action is imminent, including ways to continue to practice medicine and avoid jail. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)