Emergency Medical Services, Disaster Medicine, and Legal Issues

Abstract

There are miscellaneous topics in emergency medicine (EM) that are important to clinical practice and to performance on standardized EM tests, including emergency medical services (EMS), disaster medicine, and legal issues. Most EM physicians work closely with EMS and need to understand the basics of medical control and care in the prehospital setting. Although disasters are, fortunately, rare events, EM physicians need to know the basics of how to respond in such situations because they will often be at the forefront of care. Legal aspects of the practice of medicine are rarely taught in medical school or residency. Unfortunately, many physicians are forced to take a hands-on crash course the first time that they are confronted with a lawsuit, administrative investigation, or other legal inquiry. The legally oriented questions in the chapter will help the learner to become acquainted with some of the basics within the legal realm of medical practice, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), informed consent, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), malpractice liability, and mandatory reporting.