Medico-Legal Education: A Pilot Curriculum to Fill the Identified Knowledge Gap

Abstract

Purpose We sought to determine if a medico-legal educational curriculum designed to increase physicians' familiarity with the legal system in a nonthreatening environment—a didactic and interactive educational seminar—would positively influence learners' knowledge base and self-awareness. Methods Because neither the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education nor its Residency Review Committees specifically addresses medico-legal liability education, we designed a 2-day intensive medico-legal educational curriculum and piloted it in 2007 and 2008 at a large academic tertiary-referral medical center. Postcurriculum evaluations and precurriculum and postcurriculum testing were used to identify areas of common and/or persisting knowledge deficit. Results A total of 50 graduating residents, fellows, and community practitioners participated in the course. Common areas of knowledge deficit were “privilege,” “discovery,” statutes of limitations, and basic legal procedure. Discordance in physician interpretation of patient perspective and misunderstanding among physicians of the impact of the legal suit were evident. Conclusions Concentrated legal education at selected times during medical training may support physicians' motivations to improve the assurance of quality and continuity of care. We continue to revise the curriculum to address issues of lecturer style, lecture content, and overall attitudinal values related to clinical practice, legal education, long-term impact on practice patterns, job satisfaction and its effect on attention to quality and continuity-of-care issues, and health care provider attitudes about the provider's role within the legal system and the community. We plan to conduct follow-up of participants to assess retention and subsequent use of this knowledge.

Knowledge and Perceptions of Health Workers’ Training on Ethics, Confidentiality and Medico-Legal Issues

“…One striking observation in the study was the fact that almost all respondents agreed that knowledge of medico-legal principles was important in providing good healthcare to patients. This finding is consistent with a number of studies on ethical issues where participants clearly identified the link between quality health care provision and knowledge on ethics [ 14 , 15 ].…”

The medico‐legal helpline: A content analysis of postgraduate medical trainee advice calls

“…Our literature review for this study identified a dearth of scholarship or innovation reports on the medico‐legal aspects of privacy and confidentiality. We were heartened by some innovations in this area, including a program partnering trainee physicians with law students 24,25 as well as a 2‐day intensive medico‐legal education curriculum for residents 26 . While these innovations are distinct to single institutions, the CMPA has also recently started an annual workshop series for physicians‐in‐training reaching all Canadian medical schools 27 .…”

Charting Practices to Protect Against Malpractice: Case Reviews and Learning Points

“…When surveyed, residents and physicians across multiple specialties reported receiving no medicolegal training at all, let alone training that is specific to documentation, and rated their knowledge as poor. 4,5,6 Emergency physicians are particularly at high risk of documentation malpractice liability due to the large number of high-risk patients and fast-paced environment. The objective of this case series was to evaluate malpractice cases related to documentation errors and practices to help improve physicians' documentation and minimize their liability risks.…”