Clinician's Negligence In Health Care

Negligence is defined as “the failure to act in a reasonable way as a health care clinician” 1, encompassing failure to follow up, to refer when necessary, to disclose necessary information to a patient, and to give necessary care.2 A clinician’s negligence may result in malpractice, which is “the failure of a professional to exercise that degree of skill and learning commonly applied by the average, prudent, reputable member of the profession.” 2 A malpractice suit must prove four factors: a duty of care owed to the injured party within an established patient-nurse relationship, a breached accepted standard of care, damage or sustained injury to the patient, and demonstrated direct causation by the clinician.3 As an APRN, I will avoid the

Before entering each patient room, I will place aside any feelings of hurriedness or negativity from previous encounters, providing the quality care to each patient that I would want for my family members and myself. To ensure that I address each concern and document to reflect this, I carry post-it notes during each patient encounter so I do not forget to put in any orders. I know that I am only human, and I will be proactive by putting together safeguards like this in my practice to minimize errors and omissions. In diagnosing and treating, I will always ask about red flag signs and symptoms to rule out the worst possible diagnosis, erring on the side of being more conservative and cautious when in doubt. To avoid misdiagnosis, I will consult evidence-based clinical guidelines published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), UpToDate, and professional specialty organizations, in conjunction with consulting with physician colleagues and specialists when I encounter limitations in my own medical knowledge and expertise. When I encounter clinical situations in which I cannot “make a clear diagnosis in a reasonable amount of time” or that are beyond my scope of practice, I will appropriately refer the patient to another provider. My commitment to provide individualized and thorough patient education will avoid negligence by disclosing necessary information, in addition to building trust. It is important to me to assess a patient’s health literacy and educational needs at ever encounter, so that I can communicate effectively and provide the quality care each patient deserves. I will provide specific patient education on red flag signs and symptoms to monitor for, and emphasizing close