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Chapter 4 - Operating Department Practice and the Law

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 August 2022

By
Edmund Horowicz  and
Amy Williams
Edited by
Daniel Rodger ,
Kevin Henshaw ,
Paul Rawling  and
Scott Miller
Daniel Rodger
Affiliation:
Senior Lecturer in Perioperative Practice, London South Bank University
Kevin Henshaw
Affiliation:
Associate Head of Allied Health Professions, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk
Paul Rawling
Affiliation:
Senior Lecturer in Perioperative Practice, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk
Scott Miller
Affiliation:
Consultant Anaesthetist, St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust
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Summary

The provision and practice of healthcare is subject to a broad legal framework of accountability. Healthcare professionals must develop a sound understanding of their legal responsibilities and the underpinning ethical, professional and legal reasons for them. Ultimately, healthcare law is about people, their bodies, and those entrusted to care for them. Therefore, the aim of this chapter is to rationalise and offer insight into the link between legal accountability and quality of patient care. This chapter has been written to support all perioperative practitioners in developing their legal knowledge in the context of the operating theatre.

Keywords

AccountabilityConsentCapacityNegligenceConfidentialityEquality and Non-Discriminatory Practice
Type
Chapter
Information
Fundamentals of Operating Department Practice , pp. 28 - 48
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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