A typology for legal risk management in patient care in Australian hospitals

The author reviewed the literature on legal risk management in patient care, and carried out research in two acute care hospitals. The hospital research involved auditing policies and procedures, interviewing key people in the hospital, reviewing external legal and policy trends, and examining selected complaints files and legal cases. The results were used to develop a 'typology' of legal risk management to provide guidelines and assistance to hospital management in improving their hospital's strategic response to legal vulnerability. The model sets out four levels of legal risk management programs, and identifies specific components classified as promoting loss prevention, or loss minimisation.