Physicians are hard-wired to help their patients. But in doing so, there may come a time when “tough love” is required. A 53-year-old telecommunications analyst began treating with Dr. I, an internist, and gave a history of allergies, skin concerns, and pterygium surgery 22 years earlier.
A California appellate court has ruled that an expert’s declaration that a hospital followed a physician’s orders to monitor two troubled young patients was not enough to establish that the facility met its duty to a patient who claimed he was sexually assaulted by his roommate.
Gordon Ownby, general counsel of the Cooperative of American Physicians, offers examples of litigated cases which may have been avoided had physicians trusted their initial instincts in treating their patients.
When reporting their findings, it is common to see consulting physicians recommend further testing. Absent such an explicit recommendation, a patient’s decision to bypass conservative measures can spell trouble for all.