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Risk Management Rounds
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Overview
This is a course about learning to recognize and prevent the common communication, documentation, and reporting errors that give rise to avoidable malpractice suits. An “avoidable” malpractice suit for purposes of this course is one in which the actual psychiatric services in question were provided within the standard of care. Rather, the harm to the patient or family resulted from the psychiatrist’s failure to review relevant clinical records, exchange information appropriately with other caregivers or legal authorities, take and document an adequate medical history, or other errors that ultimately arose from faulty communication.
Objectives
Upon completion of this course, a physician should be able to:
1. Identify the most common reasons why child and adolescent psychiatrists get sued for malpractice.
2. Explain a physician’s obligations to maintain patient confidentiality under federal and state laws.
3. List circumstances that would justify breaching patient confidentiality.
4. Explain his or her duty to a patient’s parents and other third parties.
5. Outline documentation practices that will reduce his or her liability while improving patient care.
6. Identify steps that will reduce the chances of making a medication error.
Target Audience
This course is designed for psychiatrists and other mental health professionals who treat children and adolescents and want to limit their malpractice liability.
Methodology
This is a self-study course consisting of text and CME test. Physicians should read the course content, answer the test questions and submit the answers for scoring. Those who complete the course with a score of 80 percent or higher will earn a maximum of 5 AMA PRA Category 1 creditsTM.
Faculty/Author
This course was developed by Rosemary Gafner, Ed.D. Dr. Gafner’s CV is available on request or online at https://www.medrisk.com/Medrisk/Faculty/CV/default.aspx.
CME Information
Medical Risk Management, Inc. is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing education for physicians. Medical Risk Management, Inc.designates this continuing medical education activity for a maximum of 5 AMA PRA Category 1 creditsTM. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
This activity is valid for release May 1, 2007 and expires on April 30, 2010.
Commercial Support
This activity was developed solely by Medical Risk Management, Inc. without any outside commercial support.
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