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If a malpractice suit
LOOK AHEAD
results because of an
If You End Up in Court
"Imagine your
op notes displayed
on a courtroom's
big-screen TV.
"
adverse patient outcome,
the poor documentation
is a real double-whammy.
On average, malpractice
I
f you're ever called upon
for a deposition or to testify in court, you want to be
able to establish credibility
for yourself and your facility.
The time has come to convince a judge or jury that you're an excellent healthcare provider.
The best way to do so is to refer to your documentation in the medical record. Remember, years will have
passed since you cared for the patient, so you likely
won't be able to rely on memory alone. You'll sink or
swim with your notes. You'll want to be able to show
that you documented specific findings and observations of ongoing processes; activity and diet tolerances; pain levels; wound healing; any changes in
patient status or outcome; any needed interventions
(such as treatments, therapies and medications) and
the outcomes and responses to such interventions;
notifications to the physician, your supervisor or family
members; and, finally, the plan for care and follow-up.
Modern courtrooms use visual displays such as bigscreen TVs to present evidence to the jury box. Your
notes will be up there, larger than life!
— Jan Kleinhesselink, RN, BSHM, and Carmen
Lester, RN, JD
suits can take 3 to 7
years to reach trial. With
the passage of this
amount of time, witnesses may be unavailable
SIMPLE.
SMART.
SECURE.
A web-based regulatory compliance
document management system
designed for the healthcare industry.
Designed By ASC Administrators
Approved By ASC Surveyors
Tested By ASC Management Companies
A P R I L 2 013 | O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E | 2 9
