Physicians Survival Guide to Litigation Stress - Softcover

John M. James; Ph.D. And W. Edward Davis; M.D.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0977676404 ISBN 13: 9780977676408

Publisher: Physician Health Publications, 2006

Synopsis

Physicians Survival Guide to Litigation Stress provides both scientific and practical information needed to understand and respond to the pressures of a medical malpractice crisis. This book explains why physicians react as they do, and suggests wasy to manage and transcend the experience. It examines the personality patterns of physicians which help them deliver the best care for their patients, but also make them vulnerable to perceiving a legal assault as an attack on their integrity. This book examines the characteristic reactions physicians experience to litigation and the neurophysiology of their emotions and behaviors. It als explores wasy in which htese reaction patterns affect their families, colleagues, and practices. Physicians Survival Guide goies on to present the five phases of the litigation experience. Most importantly, it then presents proactive and practical steps physicians can take to effectively handle the crisis and get back to enjoying medicine and their lives.

About this title

About the Author:

W. Edward Davis, M.D., M.B.A., completed his residency and fellowship in Internal Medicine and in Allergy and Immunology at Tulane University. He pursued additional training in Pulmonary Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Davis also received a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Medical Management from Tulane University. Currently he is the Department Head of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at the Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dr. Davis, his wife, and two children reside in New Orleans, Louisiana. John James, Ph.D., is a psychotherapist and educator with a private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has trained physicians and psychotherapists from around the world at the James Institute California. In his clinical practice, Dr. James counsels physicians and their families, as well as other professionals and executives. He also provides consultation and training to corporations and health care organizations. Dr. James currently resides in Lafayette, California.

Review:

American Academy of Physician Executives Review: Five Stars Book Review Physicians Survival Guide to Litigation Stress - Understanding, Managing and Transcending a Malpractice Crisis In the preface of this publication, W. Edward Davis, MD said, As a conscientious hard-working physician, I never thought about being sued. Now, following a personal experience with the process, he has teamed with John M. James, PhD to help caretakers understand, manage, and transcend the personal and professional crisis of a malpractice lawsuit. The authors start by looking at the typical physician s personality. Recognizing compulsivity as a common personality trait of physicians, the authors explore both the healthy and unhealthy aspects of compulsivity which influence physicians reactions to litigation stress. They then explore the typical psychological and physiological reactions to stress. Their discussion of the neurophysiology of the body under siege is both interesting and insightful for those of us that struggle to remember neuro-anatomy and the DSM-IV. For physicians having experienced litigation stress, it may be a bit painful to re-live some of the painful and distressing memories. However, if have been sued, I ask that you please read on because the authors provide several positive and proactive strategies for physicians experiencing litigation stress. If you are one of the fortunate physicians not having yet experienced litigation stress, please read at least the last two chapters for suggestions, which if incorporated into your practice, may well help avoid the problem completely. In a clinical practice environment where it is more a matter of when a physician will be sued than if they will be sued, Davis and James have provided caretakers who have been sued, and those who have not been sued, a well researched and written publication. If you are in clinical practice, this book is a must read. Reviewed by C. Jay Morris, MD, JD, MBA, CPE --acep.org

The Ochsner Journal Review: The Ochsner Journal: Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 89 89. Physicians Survival Guide to Litigation Stress. Understanding, Managing, and Transcending a Malpractice Crisis David E. Beck, MD Department of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Ochsner Clinic Foundation, Editor-in-Chief, The Ochsner Journal by John M. James, PhD, MA, MDiv and W. Edward Davis, MD, MBA, MMM, 269 pp. $49.95, Lafayette, CA, Physician Health Publications, 2006. This book provides insight into what physicians may experience as a result of litigation. It contains both scientific and practical information needed to understand and respond to the pressure of a medical malpractice crisis, and serves as a survival manual for physicians who have been sued as well as a guide for those who live and work with them. The book is divided into eight chapters. The first chapter describes the impact of litigation on physicians. The next chapters help to explain a physician's reaction to litigation by discussing physicians' personalities. A chapter on the neurophysiology of post-traumatic stress syndrome is provided for those with a basic science interest. The authors then discuss the impact of litigation stress on others and the phases of the litigation process. Finally, they provide strategies for proactive response and a short discussion on how to prepare for the possibility of litigation. The authors are Dr. John James, a psychotherapist and educator in private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Dr. W. Edward Davis, the Department Head of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at the Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans. This text is easy to read and provides insight as well as resources. The information and recommendations will help participants in malpractice suits deal with the sense of isolation and stress they are likely to experience. I would highly recommend this publication to physicians involved in malpractice litigation. It will be a valuable resource for them and for those they care about. Also, statistics strongly identify a significant risk for any practicing physician who has not been sued. The material in this text provides insights into an extremely stressful process and could be of significant assistance to physicians and their colleagues. --ochsner.org

About this edition

• Publisher: Physician Health Publications
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0977676404
• ISBN 13: 9780977676408
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 269
• Editor: Drs. Davis & James
• Illustrator: N/A