Previous research has found that fear of malpractice can influence medical decision-making. This survey of emergency department attending physicians and advanced practice clinicians in Massachusetts found that fear of harming patients played a larger role in medical decision-making than fear of legal action.

… patients did not vary by patient sociodemographic group. … Khidir H, McWilliams JM, O'Malley AJ, et al. Analysis of consistency in emergency …

… visits for conditions sensitive to diagnostic error (e.g., stroke , pneumonia , pulmonary embolism ). …

This single-site retrospective cohort found that vulnerable populations (defined by race/ethnicity, insurance status, and limited English proficiency) were generally not at increased risk of patient safety events. However, stratified analyses comparing events identified via automated versus voluntary incident reporting systems found voluntary systems may undercount events in some racial/ethnic populations.

This observational study based on surveillance data documents increasing rates of benzodiazepine prescribing in outpatient care over time. The rate of coprescription of benzodiazepines with opioids and other sedating medications has also increased, raising concerns for harm including overdose deaths and hospitalizations.

… … Milbank Q … Some hospital systems have employed a disclosure , apology, and offer strategy for medical … for more widespread implementation of this model, despite a lack of generalizable data. Benefits for both the liability …

An automated surveillance system within an existing electronic medical record detected many more post-procedural adverse events than standard voluntary reporting.

… by examining patient perceptions of care, measured through a validated survey tool, and technical measures of quality … Patients' overall rating and "likelihood to recommend" a hospital had strong associations with technical performance …