Apology laws are gaining traction in the United States, prompting health care professionals to offer words of condolence for adverse medical outcomes without the fear of being sued for malpractice. Although these laws vary by jurisdiction, they have been shown to reduce the financial consequences of a medical malpractice lawsuit. The authors provide an overview of the laws regarding this issue ...

Malpractice issues in psychotherapy and psychological treatments refer to the unethical behavior of a psychologist or psychotherapist toward patient. The current study reviewed complaints directed at psychologists psychotherapists Sweden with regard possible incidents malpractice. Eligible cases were retrieved from database managed by Health Social Care Inspectorate [Inspektionen för vård och o...

P_ hysicians and other medical providers are subject to a negligence rule of liability. To prevail, a plaintiff must show that he or she sustained damages that were caused by the failure of the physician to take due care, defined as customary practice of physicians in good standing with the profession, or a significant minority of such physicians. In a simple model, with perfect information and...

OBJECTIVE Psychiatry is a low-risk specialisation; however, there is a steady increase in malpractice claims against psychiatrists. Defensive psychiatry (DP) refers to any action undertaken by a psychiatrist to avoid malpractice liability that is not for the sole benefit of the patient's mental health and well-being. The objectives of this study were to assess the scope of DP practised by psych...

Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi have adopted medical malpractice reform legislation in response to the three crises in medical liability insurance. In 1975, Louisiana adopted damages caps, created a patient compensation fund, and mandated the submission of claims to screening panels. In 1987, Alabama adopted damages caps and modified the collateral source rule, but these reforms were declar...

OBJECTIVE To examine paediatric malpractice claims and identify common characteristics likely to result in malpractice in children in France. DESIGN AND MATERIALS First, the authors did a retrospective and descriptive analysis of all paediatric malpractice claims involving children aged 1 month to 18 years, in which the defendant was coded as paediatrician or general practitioner, reported to...