Clinical guidelines are developed using best available evidence and consensus expert opinion. They are designed to assist clinicians in making the best decisions, to promote consistency in clinical practice and to minimize variations in care.

In medical negligence litigation where there is variation in opinion by experts, then an objective set of standards such as clinical guidelines might assist the court in deciding the reasonable standard of care.

In this talk I will review the interaction between clinical guidelines and the law of medical negligence and, looking at cases, I will question the extent to which guidelines engage in determining the legal standard for breach of duty. 

Presentation Sponsored by Avant

Time critical stress in the resuscitation room can stretch emotions, cognition and performance. This session focuses a human factors lens onto a single resus case and introduces practical ways to get you and your teams ready to perform well and remain flexible under pressure.

Emergency physicians are required to identify life-threatening conditions in patients who presenting with vague or non-specific symptoms. Common complaints such as chest pain, dizziness, and back pain account for a large proportion of ED presentations. Hidden within these are the critical “1%” - patients with time-sensitive, high-risk diagnoses such as aortic dissection, posterior circulation stroke, and cauda equina syndrome.

These conditions are difficult to diagnose, frequently missed, and associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and medicolegal risk. This talk explores the diagnostic challenges posed by these conditions, highlighting common cognitive pitfalls and system-level contributors to diagnostic error. Practical strategies will be presented to improve diagnostic accuracy, mitigate risk and improve patient outcome.