Medical Professional Liability and the Delivery of Obstetrical Care

Abstract

ON October 11, 1989, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences released a report on a two-year study of the effects of medical professional liability on the delivery of obstetrical care.1 The report, which is summarized below, and its companion volume of supporting material set forth the deliberations of an interdisciplinary committee of 14 experts. To carry out its objectives, the committee commissioned more than 20 papers from distinguished specialists in various fields, commissioned three surveys to gather new data, and reviewed more than 50 state and national surveys. As part of its data collection, the committee . . .