I
t's always bothered William Duffy, RN,
MJ, CNOR, FAAN, whenever a lawyer
who doesn't understand the world of
nursing presents a legal talk about nurses get-
ting sued. So instead of explaining the legal
world from a lawyer's perspective, Mr. Duffy
will explain it from a nurse's perspective at
OR Excellence, giving attendees "a solid ori-
entation to the world that looks at what we do
and how we do it in a much different way
than nurses are accustomed."
In an entertaining and informative format,
Mr. Duffy will explain the legal risks nurses —
and their managers — face and offer strategies
to minimize the risk. He'll also show you how
to survive a deposition.
Take this common scenario. A nurse
informs a patient that she needs an IV. The
patient holds out her arm, implying that she
consents to the procedure, and the nurse pro-
ceeds to start the IV. But the patient shrieks
and pulls her arm away in fear of the needle.
Many nurses will complete the
procedure without specifically asking for consent. In
most cases, the patient won't raise an issue. Yet, juries
have found nurses liable of battery for continuing with
3 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J U N E 2 0 1 9
William Duffy, RN, MJ, CNOR, FAAN
Loyola University Chicago | Chicago, Ill.
The Anatomy of a Lawsuit
• 2004-2005 National
President of the
Association of
periOperative Registered
Nurses (AORN), where
he led the association's
initiative for National
Time Out Day to elimi-
nate wrong site surgery.
Currently serves on the
AORN Board of
Directors.
• Director of the health sys-
tems management mas-
ter of science program at
Loyola University's
Marcella Niehoff School
of Nursing.
• Has spoken nationally
and internationally on
health law and nursing
leadership topics in addi-
tion to being an accom-
plished author.
Speaker Profile
