Medical Errors and Litigation

Medical Errors and Litigation: Investigation and Case Preparation by Jon R. Abele guides attorneys, healthcare professionals, and insurance agents through every stage of a medical error case — from identifying responsible parties and analyzing medical records to finding experts, presenting the case to a jury, and exploring alternatives to trial. The authors bring backgrounds in both the medical and legal professions to this essential 375-page hardcover reference.

• Author: Jon R. Abele
• ISBN-10: 0-913875-80-5
• ISBN-13: 978-0-913875-80-3
• Copyright: June 16, 2004
• Pages: 375
• Binding: Hardcover
• Size: 6 x 9 inches

Topics Include:

• Roots of patient injury — incompetence, fatigue, chemical dependency, communication breakdowns, inadequate staffing, improper delegation, and concealment of errors
• Codes of medical ethics — informed consent, patient abandonment, beneficence, distributive justice, and truthfulness
• Medical instruments and devices — product defects, FDA regulations, malpractice claims, and investigation checklists
• Making sense of standards of care — elements of malpractice, duty, breach, causation, and sources of standards
• Gathering and analyzing medical records — retention, confidentiality, altered records, and long-term care records
• Finding medical experts via internet search methods — PubMed, AMA, jury verdicts, and medical school faculty
• Voir dire in medical malpractice cases — challenges for cause, peremptory challenges, and bias elicitation