Medicolegal hazards: potential pitfalls for neuroimagers

One of the major pitfalls faced by physicians is a basic lack of understanding of the legal aspects of medical malpractice. It is the authors' hope that the brief review of the history of malpractice law provided here affords the radiologist insights that could prove helpful in understanding how one must conduct oneself in a radiology practice. There are several noteworthy points to consider. Vigilance and minimizing errors is always most desirable, but error-free neuroradiology is unattainable. Best medical judgment, although not error free, is at least defensible as noted in the case law discussed here.