The twenty-first century hospital is an extraordinarily complex place. Sometimes, unexpected things happen--some fatal, some injurious, and some infectious. Problems such as these which cause public concerns sometimes result from the cost-savings pressures and could be avoided with proper management. However, each hospital’s decision to reduce staffing or postpone safety device purchases is an economic choice that will have some longer-term consequences.

A Practitioner's Guide to Hospital Liability begins with the foundations of how hospitals are organized, how their duty of care is established, and what the basics of the cause of action would be in litigation. Unusual cases of intentional acts, such as assault and battery are covered, while most of the book deals with liability claims arising of out accidents and negligent acts. The elements of shared supervision and shared responsibility are thoroughly explained and throughout the book is information for the potential litigator to consider whether a lawsuit would be likely to succeed before incurring the costs and difficulties that litigation carries. Specific topics addressed include:

• Assault and suicide claims
• Claims of civil battery
• Negligent failure to monitor patient's condition
• Liability for infection
• Equipment failure including medical device problems
• Drug-dispensing, medical and laboratory errors
• Special nutrition issues, and much more