The purposes of this study were (1) to identify the factors present in negligence suits found in case law involving prehospital care providers and (2) based on those factors, to develop a typology of causation of legal actions that could be used by postsecondary educators to emphasize specific areas in the initial training and continuing education of EMTs and paramedics. An additional purpose was to provide data which could be used to develop standards and protocols for quality assurance programs. / Using traditional legal research methods, 182 state and federal cases were identified. It was found that lawsuits involving prehospital care providers and systems have been increasing. A marked increase since 1981 was noted. / Elements of alleged negligence were identified, coded, and ultimately used to develop a typology of causation. The four major categories of causation were, in decreasing order of frequency, (1) treatment and care issues; (2) ambulance accidents; (3) dispatch and transport issues; and (4) other issues, such as training, staffing, and administration. Although alleged treatment and care negligence was the most frequent category, it involved a myriad of types of patient scenarios. On the other hand, the number one most frequent single cause of alleged negligence was ambulance accidents. / Implications of the typology for postsecondary educators, administrators, policy makers, and others were discussed. It was suggested that the typology be used to emphasize and/or alter certain aspects of educational curricula, such as driving skills, assessment skills, spinal immobilization, and others. / Legal precedents set down by the courts were dissected in order to view trends. Precedents, such as, immunity issues, emergency vehicle status, guest statutes, common carrier status, constitutional issues, and duty of care were discussed. The similarities and differences found in case law regarding these precedents were also evaluated. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-03, Section: B, page: 1275. / Major Professor: Louis Bender. / Thesis (Ed.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_76627 |
| Contributors | Bowers, Marjorie Alice., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 166 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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