1. INTRODUCTION: The Medical Specialty Advisory Committee on Emergency Medicine has developed the following Practice Parameters/Risk Management Protocols for use by participating emergency practitioners in the state of Maine. In so doing, the definition of Practice Parameters adopted by the American Medical Association has been accepted:
Practice parameters are strategies of patient management, developed to assist physicians in clinical decision-making. Practice parameters include standards, guidelines, and other patient management strategies. Standards are accepted principles for patient management. Guidelines are recommendations for patient management which identify a particular management strategy or a range of management strategies. Other strategies for patient management include practice policies and practice options.
It is the opinion of the committee that these Practice Parameters, so defined and developed, comply with the requirements for both Practice Parameters and Risk Management Protocols as required by the Medical Liability Demonstration Project. Extenuating circumstances may require deviation from the standard, but a note in the patient's record concerning any deviation, shall be made in a timely fashion.
