With obstetricians facing more malpractice suits than other physicians, many hospitals are restricting recording devices in delivery rooms to the dismay of patient-rights advocates, according to a New York Times report.
Since there are no national standards regarding cameras in delivery rooms — a decades-long tradition — each hospital is able to set its own rules. Some hospitals in the report have banned cameras altogether, while others allow pictures only after the baby has been delivered and the medical team has granted permission.
The threat of medical malpractice suits is an influential factor in many hospitals’ decision to restrict photographs or video. Hospitals also cite the health and safety of the mother and baby — as well as the privacy of medical staff — as reasons to restrict recordings, according to the report.
Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston has banned cameras during births. An MGH obstetrician said cameras in the delivery room makes physicians “gun-shy” in a litigious atmosphere. Obstetricians are sued more often than physicians in other specialties, according to the report, and pay among the highest insurance premiums.
Officials at some hospitals, such as Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, encourage and welcome cameras in an effort to increase transparency.
Read the New York Times report on hospital policies for cameras in delivery rooms.
Read more about hospitals and malpractice lawsuits:
– President Would Consider Malpractice Reform, But Not What GOP Wants
– Frequency, Severity of Medical Malpractice Claims to Rise in 2011
– Study: Physicians Fear Malpractice Suits Regardless of Actual Risk
