​The most common claim allegations against nurse practitioners (NPs) are similar to those against primary care physicians, according to a new study from The Doctors Company. The report projects that by 2025, NPs will represent almost one third of the workforce in family practices, underscoring the need for NP-specific risk management strategies. Diagnosis- and medication-related claims (48% and 24% of claims, respectively, against NPs) represented the most common allegations against both NPs and physicians. Many claims against NPs can be traced to clinical and administrative factors, including failure to adhere to scope of practice, absence or deviation from written protocols, and inadequate physician supervision. Increased communication between physicians and NPs is a key to reducing these claims. Many of these factors can be remedied, the authors suggest, if physicians discuss the laws and regulations surrounding NPs' scope of practice and support NPs in providing care.

HRC Recommends: Risk managers should be aware that with advanced nursing practice comes an increased risk of liability for nurses, along with risk of vicarious liability for nurses' employers. More information about nursing liability is available in the guidance article An Overview of Nursing Liability.