Legal Issues in Home Care: Current Trends, Risk-Reduction Strategies, and Opportunities for Improvement .

Home health nurse malpractice litigation and judgments are increasing. The legal and home health practice environments are evolving in streams of tumultuous change. The legal view of nurse practice lags behind the realities of nurse practice. Evidence-based practice is evolving and becoming the expected standard of practice. This article summarizes the current home health malpractice trends and identifies current factors affecting change in both the legal and home health environments. Strategies and resources to reduce nurse malpractice risk in home care are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]