Emedinews:Insights on Medicolegal issues:Most important advances in the arena of medical practice have been the use of technologies.

• Medical professionals today rely on a number of different types of equipment every day, from heart defibrillators to IV pumps to CT scans to automated breathing apparatuses. When any of these devices fail, the results can be disastrous, resulting in the injury or death of a patient.

• When the medical devices fail, as all machines generally have a tendency to do, the risks have major consequences and are dangerous for human health.

• Medical equipment failure can result from both manufacturing defects or human error i.e. it was used incorrectly by the medical staffer involved and the concept of product liability develops.

• Medical professionals should keep a constant eye on the equipment/s to ensure that it is working properly and be adequately trained to use the device safely.

• A register of maintenance of medical equipment must be maintained with signature of all stake holders for record. Failure to do so is a form of negligence that places the hospital and its staff at liability.

(Contributed by Dr Sudhir Gupta)