The legal danger of written protocols and standards of practice

Nurse practitioners have historically developed protocols and standards of practice to guide and improve the quality of their patient care. Written protocols and standards of practice can, however, create a potential malpractice problem. Lawyers who bring malpractice cases on behalf of patients will use the protocols and standards to measure the practitioner's care. The practice standards are often too high to be reasonably met by practitioners at all times and in all settings. As a result, the practitioner's care may breach those standards. Nurse practitioners should develop protocols that are based on a minimum safe level and not the maximum level aimed at ideal care. Standards and protocols should be updated and realistic. Once developed, protocols and standards must be followed precisely to limit potential liability.