Worried About Lawsuits, Hospitals Ban Cameras From Delivery Rooms

Thursday, 03 February 2011 | by Pat's Picks

Just the other day, I received pictures of my new nephew in the Toronto delivery room where he was born. But according to the New York Times, more hospitals are outlawing cameras in the delivery room because they’re afraid parents will turn against them and use the videos as evidence in malpractice suits.

As one might image, it’s a move that has angered mothers. But hospitals say they’re worried that images taken out of context—(“mother screaming and staff responding (or not) to what may look like an emergency”)—could freak a jury out and end up costing the hospital a hefty sum. Explains a doctor at Massachusetts General in Boston: “I want to be 100 percent focused on the medical care, and in this litigious atmosphere, where ads are on TV every 30 seconds about suing, it makes physicians gun-shy.”