In The Perinatal Nurse's Guide to Avoiding a Lawsuit, Pat Connors shares her 10 years of experience and the expertise she acquired working as a legal nurse consultant and nurse expert. Working with both plaintiff and defense attorneys, combined with 40 years as a perinatal nurse, affords her a unique ability to educate perinatal nurses as to factors that might lead them to become involved in the dreaded LAWSUIT. At one time, physicians were considered the "captain of the ship" and nurses were expected to do little more than take and follow orders. Today's nurses, well educated, autonomous and expected to possess critical thinking skills, now often find themselves responsible for many tasks once assigned to physicians. The complexity of maternal-child nursing has placed higher demands for assessment and vigilance. This book targets those areas that make perinatal nurses vulnerable to and prime targets for a lawsuit. The Perinatal Nurse's Guide to Avoiding a Lawsuit is replete with case studies and resources highlighting areas of litigation for which perinatal nurses are at greatest risk and addresses strategies to reduce those risks.

"Nurses play a vital role in improving the safety and quality of patient car -- not only in the hospital or ambulatory treatment facility, but also of community-based care and the care performed by family members. Nurses need know what proven techniques and interventions they can use to enhance patient outcomes. To address this need, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), with additional funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has prepared this comprehensive, 1,400-page, handbook for nurses on patient safety and quality -- Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. (AHRQ Publication No. 08-0043)." - online AHRQ blurb, http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nurseshdbk/

This book links quality and reimbursement issues, using a systems approach that clinicians may incorporate into their practice. Updated to provide practical advice for primary care providers (PCPs) about major trends that have emerged over the past five years, such as growing patient enrollment in managed care health plans, performance evaluation of PCPs by outside agencies, and the dramatic increase in billing being audited.Includes a free CD-ROM with customizable forms and checklists.

Evidence should be the basis of all nursing practice and action. This book was written to provide nurses with guidelines for evidence-based nursing care.

Inside this comprehensive reference, you'll find in-depth coverage of the liability risks common to obstetric and neonatal settings. From the basics of healthcare law and its relation to clinical practice, to detailed discussions aimed at specific liability challenges, this resource prepares you for the professional and legal responsibilities of today's perinatal nursing.

Thoroughly updated for its Second Edition, this comprehensive reference provides clear, practical guidelines on documenting patient care in all nursing practice settings, the leading clinical specialties, and current documentation systems. This edition features greatly expanded coverage of computerized charting and electronic medical records (EMRs), complete guidelines for documenting JCAHO safety goals, and new information on charting pain management. Hundreds of filled-in sample forms show specific content and wording. Icons highlight tips and timesavers, critical case law and legal safeguards, and advice for special situations. Appendices include NANDA taxonomy, JCAHO documentation standards, and documenting outcomes and interventions for key nursing diagnoses.