The Power of Agreement
We can stop baseless malpractice suits before they get started. How? By having a majority of practicing emergency physicians go on record as to the baseline “standard of care,” beneath which is negligence.
This has been rolling for a while, and I’ve been late to blog it. That does not, in any way mean I’m not 100% FOR it.
The idea is beautifully simple: the Standard of Care in Emergency Medicine should be set by practicing EM physicians, not case-by case in courts before lay juries with battling experts. (AAEM had the ‘remarkable testimony’ series as a retrospective attempt to shame ‘experts’ who gave, well, remarkable statements under oath, which to date has two cases in it).
This has the very real advantage of being a clear, concise peer statement that this is / is not the Standard of Care.
I voted (while at ACEP). If you’re an Emergency Physician (and you have to cough up some information to determine your bona-fides before you can vote) go to the Standard of Care Project, and cast your vote. They have set the bar at 30,000 votes, which is ambitious. It’s also worth it.
