Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Feb;43(1):9-18.
doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2024.05.021. Epub 2024 Jul 4.

Balancing the Legal Risk to the Clinician with the Medical Interests of the Patient

Michael B Weinstock  1 , Veronica M Heitsch  2 , Marc A Probst  3
Affiliations
Review

Balancing the Legal Risk to the Clinician with the Medical Interests of the Patient

Michael B Weinstock et al. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2025 Feb.

Abstract

The balance between risk of missing serious disease and potential harms from over testing involves knowledge of the literature, familiarity of clinical guidelines, incorporation of clinical decision tools where appropriate, use of metacognition to be aware of cognitive decisions to respond and use of shared decision-making in the context of a patient's presentation and with the guidance of the clinician.

Keywords: Balance risk and benefit; Emergency medicine; Risk management.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure The authors have nothing to disclose.

MeSH terms