Professional Liability

One of the undertaught but scary things about becoming a "real" doctor is professional liability. What are the legal and ethical issues that come up as I become a resident next year? We got a talk from risk management about the basics of medical malpractice, how insurance works, and common reasons for lawsuits. I always found it interesting that poor communication is a better predictor than actual negligence of whether a lawsuit is brought forth. Of course, poor communication is often core to the problem such as failure to follow-up on abnormal results or improper informed consent. We also reviewed how to disclose an unanticipated adverse event to a patient. How do you tell someone that "something went wrong," and how do you do it if you think you are not at fault or if you are at fault? Such discussions are so difficult to approach and yet every detail is important to determining how things go. I think as I move forward, I am becoming more aware of the legal ramifications of what I do. Statistically, at some point, I will have to go through the process, but hopefully being aware, knowledgeable, and careful will help me avoid any sticky situations.