OBJECTIVE. Although few radiologists dwell on the notion of malpractice risk during their daily practice, the risk of malpractice within the specialty is real. CONCLUSION. This article provides an overview of the elements of a malpractice claim, discusses key ingredients for avoiding malpractice liability, touches on several topics interconnected with mitigating malpractice risks (hedging, apologies, and pace), and provides a series of tips a radiologist might consider in practice to decrease liability risk.
Keywords: hedging; liability; malpractice; medicolegal; standard of care.