Neurologic Specific Risk: Strokes, Lytics, and Litigation

Misdiagnosis in Emergency Medicine can be associated with patient harm, with neurologic diagnoses among the most common conditions to confound physicians. These are often complex, time-sensitive and nuanced, offering opportunity for mimics and chameleons to make assessment, diagnosis and treatment challenging. This article discusses the legal considerations pertinent to neurologic diagnoses for the emergency physician, including assessment, diagnosis, treatment, transfer and documentation in order to ensure excellent patient care as well as protection from liability.