Krishna Lynch, RN, MJ, CPHRM and Rita F. Morris, RN, MJ
Court decisions on nurse liability draw a fine line between failing to take action in the patient’s best interest and advocating for patients in an uncollaborative manner.
Two trends in medicine are altering what patients expect from their doctors and nurses and what doctors and nurses of both sexes now expect from each other.
Since the 1950s courts have grappled with resident physicians’ liability for medical error. First, they asked, “Are medical residents true physicians?” Then, “Are they general practitioners or specialists?”
The guidelines for patients’ eligibility for bariatric surgery have not changed since 1991, although recent data suggest there may be indications for broadening application of the surgery.