Legal problems in the operating theatre: learning from mistakes.

Nurses and other professionals have a legal as well as a professional duty to keep up to date with developments and changes in their clinical field of practice. Healthcare professionals should also be aware of major studies and the complaint and litigation trends in their specialties. This information can inform practice and lead to improvements in the quality of patient care. The information can often be found in the healthcare literature and the general press. This article looks at examples of the reported cases and research on negligence in theatres and discusses the legal and professional duty to keep up to date.