BEIJING -- A new regulation on the prevention and settlement of medical disputes goes into effect on Monday.

The regulation aims to provide guidance on the prevention and settlement of medical disputes, safeguard the lawful rights of both medical staff and patients, and maintain security and order in medical institutions.

The regulation emphasizes the need to enhance the oversight of medical security and risk-prevention in critical areas of medical service, and underlined doctor-patient communication as a key method in preventing medical disputes.

The regulation also stipulates the legal consequences of malpractice including faking laboratory reports and distributing inaccurate information about medical disputes.

According to statistics from the National Health Commission, the number of medical disputes has gone down for five years in a row, dropping by 20.1 percent in total.