Protect oneself against litigation with proper documentation
Being a medical doctor can be a hazard, in legal terms. Improper diagnosis or failure to treat patients properly may land them in court.
That is why all doctors must make proper documentation of everything that happens in his medical practice a habit and culture. These documentations may prove to be his or her savior in the event that they are sued by their patients for negligence.
Doctors, as we all know, make diagnosis and prescribe medicine and treatment plans. If their patients obediently followed all their (doctor) recommendations, the legal risk is very small, unless the doctor had been negligent in his work.
Of course, there are many things in the doctor-patient relationship which the doctor won't have any control over. But during disposition in court, the medical malpractice attorney will grill the doctor on those areas in which the doctor had control over to prove that a malpractice had taken place.
What happens when doctors come across patients who defy their recommendations and refused to see a specialist? The answer is simple. To protect oneself from litigation later, document everything about that patient concerned.
The key things to take note of include clearly stating that the patient was against the prescribed treatment, the recommendations made to the patient, the proposed referrals given to him or her, and the reaction of the patient towards advice on things like exercise and diet.
What happens if the patient agrees with recommendations to use a certain facility or seek the expertise of a specialist the doctor had recommended, but could not go through with it due to budget constraints and other inconvenience?
Proper documentation is, again, the answer. Record down in the patient's history chart all the advice and recommendations made. The doctor must write down the fact that the patient was briefed on the limitations of the medical care that he or she could provide, and the risks of not going to see a specialist.
After having written or printed out this document, read it out to the patient, and once they fully understood what had been written, ask them to affix their signature on it.
But whatever it is, if a doctor knows fully well that treatment of the disease or medical problem before him is beyond his or her expertise, it would be wise to just refer the patient to a specialist.
That is why all doctors must make proper documentation of everything that happens in his medical practice a habit and culture. These documentations may prove to be his or her savior in the event that they are sued by their patients for negligence.
Doctors, as we all know, make diagnosis and prescribe medicine and treatment plans. If their patients obediently followed all their (doctor) recommendations, the legal risk is very small, unless the doctor had been negligent in his work.
Of course, there are many things in the doctor-patient relationship which the doctor won't have any control over. But during disposition in court, the medical malpractice attorney will grill the doctor on those areas in which the doctor had control over to prove that a malpractice had taken place.
What happens when doctors come across patients who defy their recommendations and refused to see a specialist? The answer is simple. To protect oneself from litigation later, document everything about that patient concerned.
The key things to take note of include clearly stating that the patient was against the prescribed treatment, the recommendations made to the patient, the proposed referrals given to him or her, and the reaction of the patient towards advice on things like exercise and diet.
What happens if the patient agrees with recommendations to use a certain facility or seek the expertise of a specialist the doctor had recommended, but could not go through with it due to budget constraints and other inconvenience?
Proper documentation is, again, the answer. Record down in the patient's history chart all the advice and recommendations made. The doctor must write down the fact that the patient was briefed on the limitations of the medical care that he or she could provide, and the risks of not going to see a specialist.
After having written or printed out this document, read it out to the patient, and once they fully understood what had been written, ask them to affix their signature on it.
But whatever it is, if a doctor knows fully well that treatment of the disease or medical problem before him is beyond his or her expertise, it would be wise to just refer the patient to a specialist.
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