Legal Issues in Emergency Response

During disasters, health care providers are faced with limited resources, harsh environments, and an increased amount of sick and injured patients. These conditions sometimes require health care providers to deviate from existing treatment protocols. Deviating from these protocols results in a perception of increased legal risk for health care providers. This has led to a national debate regarding the necessity of establishing altered standards of care for health care providers during crisis events. This chapter explores the development of disaster preparedness, the issue of health care provider liability, and national and local efforts to protect providers in disaster situations.