RESUMO
Common patient safety issues may result in injuries to babies in the newborn period. A medical malpractice lawsuit is one way in which an injured patient can obtain compensation for the injuries they sustained as the result of an error. There are a number of common areas of malpractice risk for neonatologists including the delivery room, jaundice, hypoglycemia, and late preterm infants. A better understanding of the medical malpractice system and common patient safety issues in neonatology can lead to protective strategies to reduce risk for untoward events and subsequent litigation. Strategies including maintaining competency, following national guidelines, and proper communication and documentation can improve the care and treatment of neonatal patients and their families resulting in less malpractice exposure.
Assuntos
Neonatologistas/legislação & jurisprudência , Segurança do Paciente/legislação & jurisprudência , Comunicação , Parto Obstétrico/legislação & jurisprudência , Documentação , Humanos , Hipoglicemia , Recém-Nascido , Recém-Nascido Prematuro , Doenças do Prematuro/diagnóstico , Doenças do Prematuro/terapia , Icterícia Neonatal , Responsabilidade Legal , Imperícia/legislação & jurisprudência , Erros Médicos/legislação & jurisprudência , Erros Médicos/prevenção & controle , Ressuscitação , Estados UnidosAssuntos
Prova Pericial/legislação & jurisprudência , Imperícia/legislação & jurisprudência , Neonatologistas/ética , Neonatologia/legislação & jurisprudência , Atitude do Pessoal de Saúde , Compreensão , Prova Pericial/ética , Humanos , Jurisprudência , Neonatologistas/legislação & jurisprudência , Estados UnidosRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) is becoming increasingly available for neonatologists and pediatric subspecialists (PSS); however, concerns over potential litigation from possible missed diagnoses or incorrect management have been documented. This study aims to define the extent and quality of lawsuits filed against neonatologists and PSS related to POCUS. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective study of all United States reported state and federal cases in the Westlaw database from January 1990 through October 2015. Cases were reviewed and included if either a neonatologist or PSS were accused of misconduct or the interpretation or failure to perform an ultrasound/echocardiogram was discussed. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the data. RESULTS: Our search criteria returned 468 results; 2 cases were determined to be relevant to the study objective. The two cases alleged a failure to perform a diagnostic test and implicated POCUS as an option. There were no cases of neonatologists and PSS being sued for POCUS performance or interpretation. CONCLUSION: This study of a major legal database suggests that POCUS use and interpretation is not a significant cause of lawsuits against neonatologists and PSS.