Medical malpractice lawsuits: What causes them, how to prevent them, and how to deal with them when you are the defendant

Abstract

Most physicians want no part of a lawsuit and will, if instructed properly, avoid them at considerable cost of time, money, and effort. It was assumed that if you, as a physician, made no mistake then a lawsuit would never happen. We all know this is a fallacy, especially in the cosmetic aspects of surgery. Since we can never truly know what will make the patient happy or what offhand remark by a third party may change a satisfied patient to an unhappy patient, we must arm ourselves with the information to help prevent lawsuits. Lawsuits come from angry frustrated patients who feel abandoned or deceived. Gaining and maintaining rapport is the key to prevent lawsuits.