Four Essential Elements of Malpractice
Events occurring with unanticipated deterioration of a patient’s condition, such as end-of-life, can result in legal issues. However, recall there are four required elements to move an allegation of malpractice forward in a court of law. (Review the Legal Terminology List and the “Malpractice … 4 essential elements” presentation if necessary before responding.) 1.Describe one example of actual or potential malpractice you have observed, been involved in, or heard about during your career. You may want to relay a “near miss” scenario. If you have no example interview a nurse colleague about their experiences. 2.Explain how each of the four elements were met as you describe the event. 3.Was a root cause analysis performed (review this definition because this process may be called something else in your agency)? Why or why not? 4.What processes were put in place to prevent this type of incident from happening again? In your peer response(s) you will discuss the likelihood the malpractice event described by your peer could occur at your work place and any safety or preventative measures (agency policy or procedures) exist to prevent a similar incident from occurring in your employment setting. 1.Use at least one scholarly resource other than your textbook to support your remarks. 2.All scholarly sources cited in-text and as references must be APA compliant, including direct quotations.
