Liability Exposure for EMS Providers

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Course Author(s)

Brit Insurance

Course Summary

As an emergency medical services (EMS) provider, the likelihood of your being named as a defendant in a lawsuit is very remote, but it is a possibility in today’s environment. EMS providers usually respond to a person's moment of greatest need and provide potentially lifesaving assistance while also being held to a standard of care, as is any other medical practitioner. 

This course provides advice to all EMS providers about where liability exposure can occur and how to minimize this risk, especially in today’s world of illicit drug use. This course will present EMS providers with deliverables in three general areas:

  1. Basis for a negligence complaint: the four necessary elements
  2. Ability to recognize over 12 areas of liability exposure
  3. Proactive steps: methods to reduce or minimize liability exposure for each of those 12 areas of exposure

NOTE: EMS providers should consider also taking the course The Opioid/Fentanyl Epidemic as well.

Course Syllabus

  • Liability Exposure for EMS Providers

    • Common Areas of Liability
    • Patient Refuses Medical Transport
    • The Combative Patient
    • Drug Abusing Patient and Response Time Issues
    • Exceeding the Authorized Level of Care
    • Making a Medical Diagnosis
    • Failure to Communicate with Medical Control
    • Failure to Obtain and Utilize Adequate Manpower
    • Inappropriately Applied Emergency Medical Treatment
    • Inappropriate Transfers
    • Initiation of Resuscitation Efforts on DNR Patients and Failure to Document
    • Additional Exposures
    • Additional Exposures Continued
    • Module Assessment