Gibelli F, Bailo P, Sirignano A, Ricci G, et al.
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland). Date of publication 2022 Jul 29;volume 10(8):.
1. Healthcare (Basel). 2022 Jul 29;10(8):1426. doi: 10.3390/healthcare10081426.
Pressure Ulcers from the Medico-Legal Perspective: A Case Report and Literature
Review.
Gibelli F(1), Bailo P(1), Sirignano A(1), Ricci G(1).
Author information:
(1)Section of Legal Medicine, School of Law, University of Camerino, 62032
Camerino, Italy.
INTRODUCTION: The identification of professional liability profiles related to
the development of pressure injuries is a very thorny issue from a medico-legal
perspective. This is because no matter how strict the applied prevention
protocols applied may be, the development of such injuries is largely dependent
on endogenous factors. This paper aims to investigate the medico-legal issues
related to this topic through the exposition of one case of medico-legal
litigation and a traditional review of the literature.
METHODS: We performed a literature search using three databases (Pubmed, Scopus,
and Web Of Science), restricting the search to the period between 2001 and 2021.
We used "pressure ulcers" and "jurisprudence" as the main keywords. From an
initial library of 236 articles, our selection resulted in 12 articles, which
were included in the review.
RESULTS: We identified the ever-increasing expectations of patients and the
concept of automatic attribution of responsibility when a pressure ulcer
develops as the primary reasons for the increase in litigation over the past 20
years. The related corrective measures are numerous: a strict adherence to
guidelines, an adequate documentation of preventive measures, a risk assessment,
family involvement, and a successful collaboration between physicians and
government institutions.
CONCLUSIONS: The biological complexity of the pathogenetic development of
pressure ulcers makes the subject very delicate from the medico-legal point of
view. In principle, it is possible to state that a very large proportion of such
injuries are preventable, but that there remains a percentage of them that
cannot be prevented. In such cases, only a proper documentary demonstration of
the adequacy of preventive measures can exclude liability profiles.
DOI: 10.3390/healthcare10081426
PMCID: PMC9408658
PMID: 36011081
Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
