• A Business Tool ID’s Change Barriers
• Giving Bad News
• Practical Steps to a Systems-based Surgical Practice [PDF]
• Prescribing Psychiatry [PDF]
• Simulating Emergencies to Prevent Errors
• Teamwork as a Tool for Patient Safety

• Discharged from ED Before MI Death
• Dodging Responsibility and Placing Blame
• Missed MI Despite Family History
• Teamwork Failures in Labor and Delivery
• Vague Talk Between OB and RN Caused Delay
• Wrong Site, Quickly Settled

• Multilingual Education Materials
• Interpretation
• Signage
• Patient Literacy
• FAQs

• HIV Information
• Release of Medical Record Information
• FAQs

Sharing of bad news is difficult, more difficult if the harm may have been caused by something that we may have done. This module presents an overview for helping health care providers understand and prepare for the disclosing of an unanticipated event.

What are a physician's responsibilities when working with a nurse practicing in an expanded role?

In Massachusetts, nurses practicing in an expanded role include: nurse midwives, nurse practitioners, psychiatric nurses, mental health clinical specialists, and nurse anesthetists.Massachusetts is one of several states in which the Boards of Registration in Nursing and Medicine jointly govern the practice of nursing in the expanded role. Nurses practicing in the expanded role must practice in accordance with written guidelines which are developed in collaboration with and mutually acceptable to the individual physician or the appropriate medical and nursing administrative staff.

What are my risks from an informal "curbside consult"?

Historically, the courts have looked for a formal physician-patient relationship as the basis for risk exposure. Court decisions have given increased consideration to factors such as whether:A contractual agreement created a relationship,Actions by your employees implied your willingness to establish a physician-patient relationship, orTreatment or diagnostic decisions by your consulting colleague indicate substantial reliance on your advice.If your curbside consult takes on any of these characteristics, follow up on the patient's care as you would for a formal consult.Additional ResourcesConsultation Guidelines for Primary Care ProvidersShould Curbside Consults be Curbed?Curbside Consultations.