The document discusses the importance of nurses attending seminars on the legal aspects of documentation to protect their nursing license. It notes that about 180,000 patients die each year due to preventable medical errors. Nurses face increasing liability from malpractice lawsuits and criminal charges due to heightened awareness of patient rights. Attending legal seminars helps nurses learn how to document properly, avoid common mistakes, understand their practice limitations, and implement strategies to reduce litigation exposure.

1. The Legal Side of Nursing Documentation:
Strategies to Keep You Out of the
Courtroom
Medical Legal Concepts
ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF
N U R S E S T O PROTECT THEIR
Seminars
NURSING LICENSE
Medical Legal Concepts Seminars
Legal Documentation Seminars for Nurses
The What, Why, and How
The Necessities
Why do nurses need seminars on the legal
aspects of documentation?
Nursing training is vocational and deficiencies. They may also include
includes skills, knowledge, and a the relief of symptoms and pain, us-
system of thought that is based on ing a full scope of medical interven-
the values, characteristics, and be- tions. In the process of, and follow-
haviors believed to be best in hu- ing medical interventions, the ex-
man beings. Nurses carry out many pected results may not always be
roles and functions within a team of achieved, and a person who is re-
healthcare providers including ceiving treatment may suffer harm
providing patient care, decision as a result. In this situation, the
making, protecting patients’ rights, legality of the medical procedures or or physician causes harm
and providing information. With the nursing interventions and the issues and/or loss; for example, by
evolution of technology, nurses are of the resultant responsibility of the not providing adequate service
confronted with issues of malprac- person or individuals who caused and care in suitable condi-
tice in their practice as the interven- the harm may be questioned, which tions, by not matching the per-
tions become more invasive. may lead to an investigation of med- formance expected from a
ical malpractice. nurse under the same or simi-
Medical procedures include the ap- lar conditions, or by departing
plication of medical and nursing sci- Malpractice can be defined as lack from the requirements of ac-
ence while following accepted rules of knowledge or experience, or negli- cepted practice, leading to
and processes to effect the diagnosis gence, in the performance of duties substandard care or a breach
and treatment of an individual’s that result in patient injury. Medi- in the standard of care.
physical or psychological illnesses or cal malpractice occurs when a nurse

2. “...that adverse events during the course of care
contributes to the deaths of 180,000 patients
every year...”
How easy is
—November 2010 report released by the Office of it to book a
seminar?
the Inspector General
Criminal charges for practice, and ways of
nursing errors are be- preventing malpractice
coming more prevalent and related problems
than ever before. The by defining the relevant
differences between al- issues. The only way
There has been an in- legations in the civil for a nurse to protect
crease in the number of system and the charges against the possibility
malpractice cases in part, brought in the criminal of facing allegations of
systems must be un- substandard care for a Booking a seminar is
due to an increased
extremely easy. The
awareness of patients’ derstood. nursing error is
online website through
and consumers’ rights. through good nursing National Speakers Asso-
The scope and content practice and document-
Nurses have to bear ciation (NSA) http://
of topics presented by ing the same. www.nsaspeaker.org
heavy responsibilities.
Medical Legal Concepts provides the information
Failure to fulfill these re-
seminars are intended needed to contact the
sponsibilities may result
to raise awareness of “We have an epi- speaker and request
in allegations of negli- demic of medical dates for booking. You
malpractice as part of
gence that can lead to malpractice, not of can view her schedule
nursing practice. When
malpractice lawsuits. malpractice law- and then you can speak
nursing training does
Allegations of negligence suits.” directly with customer
not create an aware- service at: 800-259-
can arise against a nurse
ness of malpractice is- Tom Baker, Professor of 8058 to finalize your
from almost any action or Law, Univ. of PA.
sues, it lays a founda- date.
failure to act that results
tion for malpractice,
in patient injury (most
whether it is intentional
often, an unintentional Medical Legal Concepts, LLC
or unintentional. The
failure to adhere to a 6231 PGA Blvd, Suite 104, PMB #243
legal seminar presented
standard of clinical prac- Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33418
addresses related laws
tice) and may lead to a T: 800-259-8058 F: 561-799-3994
and regulations, mal-
malpractice lawsuit. http://www.medicalegalconcepts.com
You will receive perspectives on nursing
Advantages of Legal Seminars leadership in regulation.
by Medical Legal Concepts You will learn how to correctly document
medical errors and how to safely report
them to the appropriate individual.
Attending a legal seminar by You will become more aware of
MLC assures you to receive your practice limits and the You will learn of vulnerabilities posed by
current, relevant and accurate vulnerabilities of functioning the use of electronic medical records and
information that will reduce outside them. recording electronically.
your exposure to liability.
You will feel confident when to You will learn of strategies that you can
You will learn at least 10 ways execute the chain of com- immediately apply to your nursing prac-
to avoid mistakes in the work- mand. tice that will significantly reduce your ex-
place. posure to litigation.
You will improve the reflection
You will learn from real case of quality patient care, thereby You will enjoy learning this most sensitive
studies that have been litigat- reducing exposure of litigation and sometimes threatening topic from the
ed involving nurses in clinical proceedings to your facility. charismatic methods Rachel uses in her
practice. presentations.