[Legal aspects of conflict situations from the hospital physician's perspective]

The majority of hospital physicians have already adapted to "normal conflict situations". Standards in patient information, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up have become established practice as have the resultant consequences of the failure to observe these standards, possibly on the basis of guidelines and directives. The legal developments in recent years make organisational shortcomings and mistakes in taking on patients without any requisite specialisation a liable offense. Similarly, faulty documentation is a much-discussed medical and legal issue. New fields of legal dispute arise from the growing financial pressure and the increasing managerial responsibilities placed on senior physicians. Likewise, budgeting requirements and legal claims of employees based on working time legislation may also bear legal consequences. With the introduction of a flat-rate remuneration system for hospital services (DRGs: diagnosis related groups), liability claims against senior physicians due to coding errors have been included in the contractual agreements. Serious new conflicts essentially arising from time pressure and the overloading of physicians with bureaucratic, financial and administrative tasks can only be satisfactorily resolved if doctors are allowed to do what they are intended to do and if they are provided with the time and financial resources their every day work and continuing medical education require.