Minimize OB Legal Risks with Empathy, Communication & Trust

Credit

Speaker

Lois A Fenner-McBride, RN, MS, JD Related seminars and products

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Lois A. Fenner McBride, RN, MS, JD, is an honor’s graduate of the University of Maryland Graduate School of Nursing, Undergraduate School of Nursing, and University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. She is an attorney admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, the Federal Bar and the Maryland Bar. Nurse-Attorney Fenner is a compact licensed registered nurse and a certified clinical nurse specialist.

She is a founding member of The American Association of Nurse Attorneys, past president of the Monumental Bar Association, a member of the Women’s Bar Association, and the Trial Lawyers Association. Nurse-Attorney Fenner has been recognized by the Alliance of Black Women Attorneys with the Distinguished Women in Law award and has been recognized as a Baltimore Business Journal’s Who’s Who in Law, with a selection as a Super Lawyer twice.

Nurse-Attorney Fenner’s law practice today focuses on medical/healthcare litigation and consulting including medical malpractice, licensure, credentialing, administrative and litigation matters. She is a dynamic speaker with a realistic hands-on approach to resolving issues and minimizing risks for patients, clients and health care professionals.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Lois Fenner maintains a private practice. She receives compensation as a Nurse Attorney, Consultant, Educator-Lecturer, and Nurse Clinical Specialist. Lois Fenner receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Lois Fenner is a member of the Maryland Bar Association, the American Nurse-Attorney Association, the American Bar Association, and others. For a complete list, please contact info@pesi.com.

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Objectives

1. Evaluate how demonstrations of care and effective communication contribute to a reduction in obstetric mortality. 
2. Determine the importance of implementing safeguards (assessments, in service education, debriefing, validation of competencies, orientation and cross training) to minimize liability risks. 
3. Analyze the elements of litigation, defenses, and various outcomes. 
4. Plan to meet legal and regulatory standards through efficient and accurate documentation to protect the patient and health care practitioner in cases of disputes and litigation. 

Outline

OB Litigation: Current Legal and Ethical Issues in Practice 

• Chain of command/documentation/respondeat superior 
• Verbal orders/telephone triage 
• Failure to rescue 
• Failure to follow procedures, protocols, and policies 
• Inadequate pregnancy management/failure to refer/failure to assess and treat 
• Wrongful birth 
• Mom’s refusal of treatment 
• Labor stimulation methods and risks 
• When to resuscitate and how long to resuscitate 
• Home births/birth centers 
• Access to care 
• Delay in treatment/fetal distress 
• High risk procedures 
• Mandatory reporting 
• Minors/Informed consent 
• Abortion: What is happening now 
• Safe Haven 
• Advanced directives/DNR 

Strategies to Lower the Liability Risks  

• Risk management/error prevention/emergency drills/simulations 
• Maternal assessments 
• Postpartum assessments 
• Neonatal assessments 
• Sentinel events/debriefing/learning from mistakes/improvement/ not denial and cover up 
• CEU and learning are forever 
• Inservice education: Mandated and beyond the minimum 
• Orientation/evaluations/chart audits/competency validation/re-education prn 
• Updating procedures, policies, and protocols  
• Emotional support for staff: active listening, appropriate feedback, intervention, and support  

Target Audience

• Nurses
• Nurse Practitioners
• Doulas
• Clinical Nurse Specialists
• Physician Assistants  
• Physicians