As the numbers of nurse practitioners (NPs) in the United States continue to flourish, so, too, does the number of malpractice claims. In our litigious society there is little room for error in the health care arena. Despite the complexity of the disease processes, consumers demand perfection, and, when that unrealistic goal is not met, then malpractice suits abound. The purpose of this paper is to identify issues that have contributed to the malpractice crisis in this country and to offer some suggestions to help stem the ever increasing tide of malpractice litigation.
The Nursing Services Organization (NSO), one of the leading insurers of nurse practitioners, has identified 3 main reasons why litigation is on the upswing, specifically (1) increased collaboration and autonomy and less direct supervision, (2) increased prescriptive authority, and (3) recognition of NPs by insurance companies as primary care providers.1 Each of these seemingly positive accomplishments has resulted in increased malpractice exposure for NPs.