An Ounce of Prevention: Medical–Legal Aspects of Burn Injury

Since the 1999 Institute of Medicine's landmark report, “To Err is Human,” and the implementation of patient safety initiatives, medical errors and claims for injury as a result of these errors continue to be an area of concern for hospitals, physicians, nurses, and industry. The end of the decade saw the cost of medical malpractice insurance steadily increasing as a result of increasing awards against hospitals and physicians. This article reviews the medical–legal aspects of burn injury.